27 April 2011

Puddles, Seagulls, and Garbage Trucks

Ceara amazes me with her continual ability to make me stop, look, and listen.

The weather in Maine has warmed up a bit (40s and 50s) in the past week, and Courtney and I have taken this opportunity to walk around the neighborhood with Ceara and Caleb. Ceara loves to stop at puddles and say, "Water, Water, mommy, Water." She stoops down and watches the ripples caused by the wind or dipping her hand in it. Her joy transforms an ordinary pothole filled with dirty water into a moment of experiencing Creation in a new way. Her awe with the puddle continues as she stands up and jumps in with her new, green rain boots.

I look at the seagulls that circle the neighborhood and call out, "mine, mine, mine..." (That is a "Finding Nemo" reference for those who don't get it.) in a new way because Ceara will stand with her head skyward watching them fly and perch on rooftops. "Bird, daddy, Bird." Learning language opens a whole new world to her and reminds me of the wonder in the world in which we live.

This morning Ceara woke up at 5.15am :) As we played she heard the garbage truck on the next street. We ran to the front of the apartment so she could watch the truck come down the street. She asked for help in opening the window so she could hear the sounds more clearly, and so she could yell, "Hi! Hi! Hi!" to the workers emptying the cans into the back of the truck. I'm not sure that is what they were expecting at 5.45am. She stood at the windows for over 5 minutes as they worked their way down the entire street, and then she waved goodbye to the truck as it turned the corner.

These three snippets merely exemplify the way she causes us to pause throughout the day and notice and find wonder in the normal and ordinary.


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