Dear Reader:

A small little daily occurrence, while keeping Jakie Friday, sent my thoughts spiraling into the natural relationship between little children and flowers….perhaps the quote by Ralph Waldso Emerson says it best: “The earth laughs in flowers.” 

After returning from feeding the ducks Friday morning…Jakie was holding my hand as we cut through John and Mandy’s side yard. Suddenly I felt Jakie tug at me to stop and he pointed….a little yellow wildflower (dandelion) was blooming down below by our feet.

He squatted down beside it to touch it and stared at it intently. (Jakie has always been my nature grandson.) He was the one when, only a few months old, would makes a noise for me to stop and point at trees in his stroller. We would have to stop and I would hand Jakie a leaf from that particular tree to examine. (We had l-o-n-g strolling expeditions)

When we got to the front yard Jakie wanted to go down the slide so I stood by it as he climbed up and went down. He quickly circled to do it again….but this time he stopped by the bottom of the steps and picked up something. I figured it was a leaf or something and didn’t pay it much attention.

Then, when Jakie got to the top and sat down he handed me the little yellow wild flower that he must have pulled up when I looked away….it still had a long root attached to it. He smiled and handed it to me…”Ou…Boo Boo….ou!: (You , Boo Boo, You!) I reckon it was my time now to be on the receiving end of Jakie and nature.

Are children born with this inherent trait of curiosity and wonderment to examine and appreciate God’s little gifts in nature?

While internet searching for articles on this thought I came across two that caught my attention. One was from another blogger (Magical Movement Company/Carolyn) who believed very strongly in setting up children’s gardens within adult ones. It gave me some great ideas for starting one.

Love this idea of an attached bucket to a wall where children can get safety scissors to cut flowers and then be responsible for returning the scissors. Children’s gardens should have flowers that make lots of blooms constantly so the children can cut blooms on a continuous basis.

The blog gave lots of ideas on what to do with the blooms…I especially like this one…making potpourri for parents and friends as gifts.

It was another website that I was given in regard to children and flowers that puzzled me….quotes by Albert Einstein.

Einstein never ceases to amaze me…to be so brilliant in math and science yet he adored children and believed in empowering children with creativity through fairy tales as part of their education….not just math and science.

He wanted children to study the stars and watch them every night…it was the best classroom in the world he thought.

Here are some quotes by Einstein that I felt a strong affinity for while reading about him.

1. The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books—a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects
2.  A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new

C. Imagination is more important than knowledge

1.  The only source of knowledge is experience.
2.  The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.

So until tomorrow…I love that last piece of advice….because it has only been through my garden that my creativity has sprung back to life…I needed that time to slow down my senses and give myself some God Time.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

“Delights of the Day”

Anne’s 31 Delights in August…a painting a day….so far 12 and here are two that I loved. Pull Anne up on Facebook….unbelievable artwork. (Google Anne Peterson-Facebook/Summerville, SC artist)