I've been reading about Christian simplicity lately... the idea that God's call to us, and the example of Jesus, is to journey lightly on this earth... to put all our trust in God's providence... to aim for the "success" of a relationship with God, expressing it not just with material goods, but in our treatment of the Divine, our neighbors, and the earth...
a big part of Christian simplicity is the idea that I can be content with what has already been given to me... this hits home, as I often dream of "owning" land- even just a backyard... and yet Kaden can spend 3 hours in our boring place, eat lunch outside and then after waking from an inside nap, he will immediately beg to go outside again. He is finding joy where he is, blooming where he's planted...
and so I've started to enjoy our shared land more lately. Visiting marinas without coveting the boats. Visiting parks without planning our own backyard playset. Dreaming about a small compost on the side, planning the potted garden again. This quest to be outside, to enjoy the sharing led us to a little preserve not far from our home.
It is one of my favorite places. Kade was a bit skeptical at first, and wasn't too fond of walking the whole boardwalk trail. I'm not sure he noticed the fiddler crabs we tried to point out, and he didn't seem impressed with the trio of pelicans that flew overhead when we reached the river.
He's a bit young yet, for me to explain how mangrove roots are the one of the coolest things on earth. How they can survive like shown here, in the air, and also when submerged. How the mud and muck gather within their maze during the tides, gradually building islands or re-building shorelines. How, when underwater, they provide a nursery for fishes and crabs and other good living things.
Still, he is awed when he looks up, seeing all sorts of trees whose names neither of his parents remember. He is silent for a bit, listening to the wood creak when the wind comes through, and then jubilantly yelling "I HEAR SOMETHING." What, we ask, do you hear? He doesn't answer us, but just smiles before running down the boardwalk again. Aye, my brilliant lad, I hear Her too.
a big part of Christian simplicity is the idea that I can be content with what has already been given to me... this hits home, as I often dream of "owning" land- even just a backyard... and yet Kaden can spend 3 hours in our boring place, eat lunch outside and then after waking from an inside nap, he will immediately beg to go outside again. He is finding joy where he is, blooming where he's planted...
and so I've started to enjoy our shared land more lately. Visiting marinas without coveting the boats. Visiting parks without planning our own backyard playset. Dreaming about a small compost on the side, planning the potted garden again. This quest to be outside, to enjoy the sharing led us to a little preserve not far from our home.
It is one of my favorite places. Kade was a bit skeptical at first, and wasn't too fond of walking the whole boardwalk trail. I'm not sure he noticed the fiddler crabs we tried to point out, and he didn't seem impressed with the trio of pelicans that flew overhead when we reached the river. 
He's a bit young yet, for me to explain how mangrove roots are the one of the coolest things on earth. How they can survive like shown here, in the air, and also when submerged. How the mud and muck gather within their maze during the tides, gradually building islands or re-building shorelines. How, when underwater, they provide a nursery for fishes and crabs and other good living things.
Still, he is awed when he looks up, seeing all sorts of trees whose names neither of his parents remember. He is silent for a bit, listening to the wood creak when the wind comes through, and then jubilantly yelling "I HEAR SOMETHING." What, we ask, do you hear? He doesn't answer us, but just smiles before running down the boardwalk again. Aye, my brilliant lad, I hear Her too.
