Rediscovering the Wonder

As I sit warm and cozy in my home, I gaze out the window to the blustery cold day. Snow drifts down in lazy circles before finding its final resting place on the earth below. My son sits beside me, in awe of the transformation taking place before his very eyes. The brown, dry ground is replaced by a vibrant white layer of snow, and all he can do is stare. And I practically vibrate in anticipation of the next day when I can show him firsthand what snow really is.

Thinking back on my life, I realize that winter was never one of my favorite seasons. In fact, I remember being only 6 or 7 years old and when all my brothers and sisters would be itching to go outside, I would have much rathered sit inside with a book to read. Even last year, my motivation to venture out-of-doors was greatly diminished with a four-month-old son. I didn't want him to get too cold, it was too much work to get him dressed up, it was too difficult to push the stroller through the snowbanks... the excuses were seemingly endless. And so it was that I spent much of my time warm and cozy within the confines of my comfortable little home. This year, everything has changed. My son is no longer the content little boy he once was. Instead he is vibrant and full of life. Every morning he begs me with a look of hopeful eagerness in his eyes, "ousi???" (that is outside for those of you who do not understand the great and wonderful speech of a child). And all of a sudden, I feel a tingle of that same anticipation. There is so much to show Caleb! So much he hasn't seen. All of a sudden, my little baby has grown into an exploring toddler, my little sponge ready to absorp all I am willing to teach him. And as we stoop down to examine a leaf, or some grass, or this new fresh landscape of snow, I am beginning to 'rediscover the wonder' of this incredible world around me. How many times have I walked past the bugs on the sidewalk, or ignored the birds flying overhead???? Not anymore, my son makes sure I don't miss these little miracles that happen everyday. Everything is new, everything is interesting, and it drives me out of my comfortable "nest" and into the cold, blustery world where there are countless things to discover together. And so it is, that Selah, too young to notice or care, is bundled up each and every day and taken out with her brother. She sits bound to my chest as she stares in awe at the world around her. She gasps and blinks with the gusting wind, she squints at the glowing sun, and I know that she too is learning about this marvellous world around her.

And so, despite my inbred desire to curl up on the couch and read a book, my kids give me the motivation and desire that all have failed to instill within me... and I am finally able to defy that inner instinct in favor of the "wonder" of the world outside my four walls. Happy discovering!