Dear TSJ friends,
Last night in the night I found myself wide awake for a couple of hours. Have you ever done that? Nothing in particular was wrong, but I was suddenly thinking about all the things I have not done on my to-do list and the ways I have failed and oh my goodness my “what if” list of worries grew quickly. In short, I worried about the world.
Eventually I came back to something precious. A recent experience that I want to share with you today.
I remembered about the gift of wonder and asked myself how can I turn worry into wonder. Solomon whispered, “What if you stop hanging out in your head and drop in for a visit into your heart?’
I did and it made all the difference.
Here is a personal lesson that started with our youngest grandson who has my heart in his tiny hands.
Our Toddler and the Turtle:
Three weeks ago when the sky was clear, the sun was warm, and everything in our bodies longed to be outside, we met my oldest son and 15 month old Hendrix for a walk. In this Covid-19 pandemic, walking has been a balm for our psyches and souls.
So Hendrix was strapped in the stroller leisurely taking in the world as we walked around North Ponds Park. He was captivated by the world around him.
On most of our walks, he is highly observant. At the ponds he sees ducks and geese, people walking their dogs, joggers, birds, fish jumping in the water and blue herons perched for prey.
His daddy points out trees, frogs, toads and all sorts of things Mother Nature provides for entertainment and enjoyment.
It is a re-awakening for us grandparents to participate in his moments of discovery. We get to see things – almost as though for the first time – through his wide open and curious eyes. And Hendrix is all about the present moment
Openness and wonder often slip away from us as stressed adults. Being fully present in the moment also escapes us as I can attest to in the night.
Occasionally on the walks we introduce him to blackberries which he takes in his little hands and stuffs into his mouth with a big smile of sweet satisfaction.
Other times, Hendrix becomes mesmerized and falls into a peaceful sleep. Sometimes I envy his ability to lay back and doze off knowing he is safe with his daddy. (No worries, I do not want to be pushed in a stroller.)
However, I do want that innocent trust in my heavenly Father – without life’s concerns surfing my brain waves for attention.
But on this particular day, Hendrix was wide awake and alert. Two tall men – daddy, and “grampy” – were walking along sharing bits of news or updates on the week, as his daddy pushed the stroller.
I was walking a couple of paces behind reveling in the weather and in my own thoughts. It felt so good it was almost surreal, a breather from a world of discouragement and loss and pain of any sort.
Suddenly I noticed something glistening in the sun. Off to the side in the grass was a turtle. It was a medium sized turtle and I was super excited to see it. I think it was what is called a box turtle but I am not sure.
It just sat there sunning itself.
Of course the first thing we adults did was point it out to Hendrix. But he was clearly watching something else.
Mr. Turtle was a delightful surprise for us adults. Worth a stop-and-watch moment or two. So all of us moved closer to the turtle.
It seemed to sense it was being watched. It first stuck its head and neck out from under its protective shell only to quickly withdraw and wait. Then it seemed he decided to make a bee-line for the pond.
When Mr. Turtle’s legs propelled him forward, Hendrix’s attention was all on him!
From that moment on, Hendrix’s large, soft brown eyes surrounded by his smooth and very kissable cheeks, gazed at the turtle with a sense of awe.
As Mr. Turtle moved toward the pond we slowly followed it. Hendrix was captivated. And so were we.
But the turtle was on the move. For him it likely was a sprint!
Clearly, we parent people were as entranced by watching the child watch the turtle as watching the turtle ourselves.
I felt the soul satisfaction of two marvelous wonders to revel in on that beautiful fall day: The wonder of the turtle who brought us close to nature and of the toddler who is seeing things in our world for the first time with no preconceived ideas or judgments. Gazing with pure enjoyment and wonder, his eyes grew very large and happy.
I was awakened to the power of wonder itself to reshape our souls, our attitudes, our perspectives to bring a lighter touch into our days.
If we wear a cloak of Wonder we can experience miracles that will lift us into the land of extraordinary.
Life is still extraordinary even in these troubling times.
Slowly, keeping our distance for Mr. Turtle’s sake, we followed him part of the way down the knoll as he headed for the pond. Mr. Turtle was likely scared. He moved quickly and awkwardly, lugging along his protective shell which seemed heavy.
Hmm. I wonder what heavy protective shell do I lug around?
At one point he seemed to stop and catch his breath. Wait? Did he really do that? Stop to catch his breath? It sure looked like that. Only very briefly.
Then with one last sprint his step quickened as though he knew he was at the finish line and almost home.
We watched him swim and with the sun still glistening on him in the water, he stuck his head w a a y out as if to say, “I made it. So long, people!”
Somewhat reluctantly, we said good bye and headed toward home ourselves.
Hendrix enjoyed the turtle and I am filled once again with the wonder of all of God’s gifts and graces in everyday places.
I have heard several times lately a saying that has struck a cord in my heart: “Life is not what happens to you; life is what happens for you.”
I wonder . . . just maybe. . . did that turtle and our toddler happen for all of us?
Margie and Solomon
PS: Thank you for your encouraging emails. Also remember I am as close as the phone. Sometimes a moment together can make all the difference in a day. Leave a message and we can set aside some time. Be kind to you!