Title: Through The Eyes Of Children Type: Date Published: 2007-05-10 Can be purchased in Volume 1

     It was springtime and my two youngest daughters had been cooped up in the house all winter and were fretting to get out every chance they could. They were born after we thought we were done having children, and they have complicated our household in many wonderful ways. They have also colored our lives with a tapestry of awareness that we should have had with our other children but did not always.
     I helped them put their sweaters on, for even though it was May, it was still chilly. Each of them put a hand in mine and we stepped outside for an educational walk through the garden as I planned to show them the many wonders of spring.
     The first thing we came to were the wild roses that bloom along the ditches and canals near our house. Their fragrance filled the air with a scent that tingled the nose. My two-year-old, Elliana, pointed to them. "What are those?" she asked.
     Before I could answer, her four-year-old sister, Heather, jumped in. "Those," she said, "are called noses. They are called that because they smell so good. But be careful because those sharp things on them are called pokies."
     A large orange and black Monarch butterfly landed on the bushes next to us. Heather pointed to it. "Oh, look, Elli, it's a flutterby."
     As we stood there watching the ‘flutterby', a flock of geese noisily winged its way north in formation above us. Heather pointed to them. "Those are called gooses. The noise they make is honking."
     Elliana looked impressed with her big sister's knowledge. "Why are they honking?" she asked.
     "Because," Heather answered, with an air of four-year-old wisdom, "they are anxious to get home and the ones in the front are going too slow, so the ones in the back want them to get out of the road."
     As we continued our walk through the garden a pungent smell filled the air. Heather and Elli both sniffed and wrinkled their noses. Heather turned to her little sister. "That is called a ‘stunk', and I'm sure I don't need to tell you why it is called that."
     Our walk took us through the strawberry patch that was waking from the cold winter and was starting to put on flowers like a springtime snow. Heather pointed to them. "Do you know what these are, Elli?" Elli shook her head, so Heather continued. "These are called yum berries. That is their real name, but some people call them slow berries because they take too long before they can be eaten."
     As we continued our walk, I just kept quiet and listened to Heather describe the world around us with her vivid imagery and imaginative way. I realized this educational walk was more of an education for me than for them, for God gave me eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, a mouth to taste, and fingers with which to feel, but he gave me children to give me a reason to stop and look, to help me pause and listen, to remind me to take time out and smell the flowers, to help me be grateful for the flavors of the bounty around me, and to reach out and enjoy touching what I see.
     Thank you, God, for children.