So, the sun shined through my blinds this morning as I dragged myself from bed, groggy and irritable after a rough night of bad dreams and cats romping and discomfort.
I barked at the kids that they should’ve eaten cereal instead of waiting to demand of me a hot breakfast. They were more than capable. I threw back three cups of coffee.
That whole choice of joy? I made it this day. I didn’t feel it. I chose it.
I didn’t want to waste the sunshine. I was about to give into to Seasonal Affective Disorder with all the rain we’d had lately.
I got dressed and told the kids to get ready for a hike.
Liz went to the Backerei and got some rolls and salami. We set out for the woods at the edge of our village and the creek I had discovered a couple weeks ago. The rain all week left the trail muddy and the grass quite damp. The woods smelled of earth and leafy detritus.
Just when the kids started getting hot and bored and asking when we would get there, we heard the trickle of water and saw the creek. I encouraged them to walk on to the clearing I had found and then we could explore and have a picnic.
The light reached in fingers between the branches of the trees, tickling our eyes and chasing the breeze.
Alex was nervous. He doesn’t like the woods. He didn’t want me out of his sight. He clung to my hand, anxious not to leave my side.
Our shoes were wet with dew. I lay our picnic blanket on a bed of pine needles and moss and the sound of rippling water and birdsong filled my ears.
We explored some fallen trees with roots long eaten away. We threw pinecones into mossy puddles to make a splash. We stabbed sticks into black oozy mud and pulled them out to hear the squirshy sound. We stood in the creek and watched the mud swirl around our toes.
We discovered mushrooms and a multitude of moss. We were ecstatic to see trees oozing sap, still warm and soft and sticky, smelling sweet and ethereal, almost good enough to eat.
At the last minute before we left the house, I grabbed Glow in the Dark Fish, a Creation Bible study. As the kids munched on salami, grapes, and animal crackers, and sipped Capri Sonnes (the German version is so goooood), I read our lesson.
I love how God speaks to me in themes! Today’s Bible lesson was about light. It discussed bioluminescence in sea creatures and related that to shining our lights for Jesus and God being Light.
After we got home and completed our other lessons, I read from our science book and the chapter was about light.
The text asked a question about when God spoke: “Let there be light.” That was the first day. He didn’t create the sun until day four. (Genesis 1) How was there light and how did plants survive without the sun?
Kate exclaimed, “God Himself is Light!”
Amen.
We also explored the linguistics of Sol for the Sun and Jesus as the Son…and the sol/soul homonym. I love these spiritual conversations!
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