Times can be tough, and sometimes life isn't always the bowl of cherries it should be. Occasionally, we need to see the world through a new set of eyes. Recently after a long hard work day, I came home with only one thing in mind...rest. However, my 3 year old had other ideas. He quickly led me to the back yard where I realized he didn't just want to play. He was on a mission. He was on a bug hunt.
Now the average girl in me isn't really all that thrilled with the thought of looking at bugs. But when I became a mother, I made a decision to always keep the world an open place of discovery for him. Creepy crawly things don't usually do much for me, but seeing them through Caden's eyes made them a lot more interesting.
Usually, he wants to look at ants. He can stare at them running around their mound for hours. However, it wasn't ants this time that held his attention. It was ladybugs. Our back yard is usually full of them this time of year, and they crawl on everything. It's really quite a site to see. It became Caden's mission to find them all.
I never thought about how small ladybugs are until I tried to find them on purpose, but my eagle-eyed child could spot that tiny red bug under a small blade of grass from half way across the yard! We searched over every inch of yard and every blade of grass until he had found every ladybug he could find. He let them crawl on his hands and arms and was completely fascinated by them. He noticed everything.... how they range in color from yellowy orange to dark red.... how they can crawl upside down....that you don't notice they have wings until they lift their shell to fly away.... or how they will stand montionless when startled.
It wasn't long before I realized that my bad day had disappeared. I thought of how good God was to give me a new pair of eyes with which to see the world; to see the world as He had intended it to be seen. Through Caden's eyes, I saw wonder, amazement, nature, and love....and ladybugs.
