Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tuesdays Unwrapped

I'm linking with Emily at Chatting with the Sky for her Tuesdays Unwrapped series. It is about finding and opening a gift in the midst of an ordinary day.
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As I stood at the sink, hands immersed in hot soapy water, I absent-mindedly watched her rake the leaves. I was proud of her for noticing that it needed to be done and taking it upon herself to help out where she could. I was mentally preoccupied with my "to do" list when I noticed that she had disappeared into the shed.

I continued to wash and rinse, wash and rinse.

She reappeared with her bright red sled and a roll of masking tape.

My hands stopped.

Sensing something special, I quickly dried my hands and grabbed the camera. I quietly slipped out of the back patio door and began to observe.

She had been raking for some time, and had come up with a creative idea to make the work easier.

I watched as she tried over and over again to secure the rake to the sled with the masking tape. She would test out her new contraption, and when the rake would separate from the sled, she would try re-taping it again. She never appeared frustrated with the failure of each test run, only intent and content on seeing if her idea would work.

After many failed attempts, she gave up and began raking again.

A huge flock of geese flew overhead, honking loudly.

Her face turned toward the sky...

...the rake dropped, and she was off....
arms flapping...
face full of joy...
feeling the wind in her hair...
enjoying the chase...

It is all too easy for me to get bogged down with schedules, to-do lists, and responsibilities. What a refreshing gift it was to observe my sweet girl just being who God created her to be and living in the moment.

She did finish raking the leaves, and look at all of the fun, creativity, and joy that she experienced in the process!

5 comments:

  1. Did you ever find out what taping the rake to the sled would do? I thought she was going to fill the sled with the leaves for easier transport. What a sweet simple pleasure it must have been to watch her! Thank you for sharing!

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  2. Beautiful Julie ... Thank you for sharing, brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy these times, they pass way to fast! Love you my friend! Colleen Holdahl

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  3. Thank you ladies! Rebecca, I think her intent was to put the rope from the sled around her waist, and then walk around the yard, letting the taped rake gather the leaves in a pile, thus saving her arms the work. It was a pretty creative idea, but unfortunately, the physics of it just weren't working out. :)

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  4. oh how our children remind us to stop and enjoy life! I love how you described this and took the pictures to share. NICE TO MEET YOU!

    http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2011/11/parenting-refines-parent.html

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  5. Hi Traci Michele! Thank you for your comment! It is nice to meet you too! :)

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