the wonder

I have lived in this house just shy of four years now, and until recently I've never really noticed the beauty of our backyard ash tree. I don't know if I'm noticing it more now that I'm home in the afternoon, and I see it as the pre-twilight sun hits it just right and it nearly glows, or if it's because I'm spending a lot more time standing in my kitchen, washing dishes at the sink, than I ever used to before, but this tree just captivates me these days.

And so I'm left wondering: what other daily treasures am I completely oblivious to? What am I missing in favor of my smart phone or the TV or even my daily, necessary (and often good!) hustle and bustle?

Noelle is over five months old now, and is growing more and more curious every day. I love watching her watch the world. It's awe-inspiring to me to watch the awe in my little girl's eyes. It's crazy to think about all the treats of the world that she hasn't yet experienced. Sunsets! Ice cream! Swimming (if her fondness for splashing in the bathtub is any indication, she's going to love swimming)! I'm so excited to be with her as she discovers it all. It makes me think of this wonderful Kid President video, his "letter to a person on their first day here":

I love what he says about taking it all in. When I pray for my daughter, I pray that she will have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to know Him, that she'll be in tune to the story of His Kingdom around us. I pray that her spirit will be sensitive to His, and that she will have a sense of wonder that will continue beyond her years of childhood innocence. And right now, in her world, this starts with a cat. Noelle is rolling and scooching all over the place, chasing toys, tags, and even her own cute little toes. But when she crawls for the first time, I'm guessing she'll be chasing after Olive The Cat's tail. She's already so fascinated, and grabs a handful of cat hair whenever she gets close enough.

And I know the cat's tail is only the beginning. She'll be chasing things all her life- some good, some bad. But no matter her journey, I really do just pray that she'll be tuned in to the wonder of the world along the way. I pray that for myself as well. This pursuit of trying to be intentional about noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the daily, is what's taken me to #4095 in my gift-counting journal. Some days my vision is narrow and my heart is dull, but the habit of keeping this journal doesn't let me stay in complacency too long. To paraphrase Sara Groves' "Precious Again", the journal is a promise to me that when my love starts to grow cold, He makes it precious again, if I only open my eyes, my ears, my heart with child-like wonder.