There are little things that make me feel so unbelievably blessed - like having a job that allows me to spend on a field trip with Josie and having a school that creates amazing opportunities for children to thrive in a peaceful community that supports curiosity and encourages purposeful appreciation of the natural world.
Yesterday I was lucky enough to accompany the K-3 montessori students at Josie's school on a field trip to the Ferbach-Werner Nature Preserve. Admittedly, we frequent several of the Hamilton County parks but didn't know this gem existed! We'll definitely be back.
It was a great morning of petting snakes and toads, learning to listen and to observe, skipping down forest paths holding hands with friends, bouncing up and down on a first school bus ride, sharing a picnic lunch with a carrot "cheers," and being happy to be together. We also learned a thing or two that will prove useful in this wild yard of ours - like how to identify non-stinging carpenter bees and poison ivy. (I also had a big moment of realization on this special morning that Josie is definitely more grades 1-3 than she is pre-K. This was a bittersweet epiphany that she's really growing up.)
Together, these six smiling faces make up Josie's kindergarten class.
What a beautiful day! (This tree reminds me of a certain tattoo.)
Did you know male carpenter bees can't sting or bite? You can identify them by the yellow head - but boy do they buzz like crazy!
The fact that I spent this day with Josie yesterday appreciating the wonder and beauty of nature while Oklahoma was being devastated by her brute force is an interesting contradiction. It also made for a powerful perspective. I know I'm not the only one hugging my kids a little tighter today and appreciating the little things a whole lot more.
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