Wordless Wednesday

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Eco-Friendly?

I want to take better care of our Earth.

I really do.
I try to use less water -But sometimes forget & let the water run while brushing my teeth.
I try to use recyclable bags at the store- Did I remember to put them in my car?
Most of the time I turn off lights when exiting a room- What do you do when your hands are full?
I want to be a better steward of this precious land, air, water, plants, animals- But a lot of times I simply fail. 

So when I fail, I hope I’ll remember these images of one of my favorite places:

“O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.” Psalm 104:24-25

What things (small or great) are you doing to care for our Earth?

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Lessons From the Playground

I’m sure this is just the first of many lessons I will learn from the playground.

P and I traveled this week to my parent’s home and back. I’ve discovered a wonderful Chick-fil-a at the halfway point that has a toddler area. On the way down there, he had just taken his first few steps and it was the perfect area to let him try his new skills. The restaurant itself was not busy so we had the play area to ourselves. Towards the end of our visit, a 4 yr old made his way into the play area. Instead of climbing and sliding, he came over to the toddler area (designated for 3 & under) and begin playing with the same toy P had. P loved that an older kid was paying attention to him. The young boy was really more interested in “showing off” his skills and that he could show me that he knew how to do it too. It was cute, for a little while.

A few days later, we were returning from our trip and stopped off again. After eating lunch, we made our way to the play area. Soon, another kid (about 5) came in and proceeded to come and play with the exact toy P was playing with. I got a little annoyed. It was obvious more than he was interested in the toy, he wanted my attention as the adult in the room. P and I moved to the opening of the slide. He wanted to crawl in and make his way as far as he could go (which wasn’t far). P loved the sound of his voice echoing in the tunnel. He would climb, slide, look back and laugh. It was precious.

You know where this is going right? The bigger kid came over and said he wanted to slide down. Since P wasn’t really old enough to be in the slide, I conceded. After we heard, “Watch me!” multiple times, I simply said, “Great. Could he have a  turn?” Upon which he said, “um, no it’s not really for his age.” So, I took P over to the toddler area again. We were followed by the older kid who immediately began playing where we were standing.

His mother opened the door to the play area and announced it was time for them to leave. His response, “Mom, I slid down the slide five times for that lady and her baby.” My annoyed heart melted. All he wanted was for someone to watch him the way I was watching P so closely. I felt so small in that moment. I told myself (and a friend later) that I hope when P is his age, I’ll  remember this moment and watch P as he slides.

Later in the day, as we were unpacking and I thought about this story again. I thought about his mom. Why wasn’t she watching him? She’s probably seen him slide down that slide and similar ones hundreds of times by now. Maybe she needed a time out and break for 15 minutes? Whatever the reason, I’m glad I was there to watch him slide.

What lessons have you learned from your time on the playground?

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