Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Exploring Zeeland's "Zwaakse Weel"

Yesterday wasn't Thursday, but we still made it one of our "Spontaneous Adventure" days. We headed out to the nearby "Zwaakse Weel" Nature Reserve for a walk through the surrounding countryside. When we reached the water, we sat down on the dock for a few minutes, watching the ducks and staring out at the water. It's moments like those that I remember as a child, sitting with my mother on a wooden dock atop one of many Central Florida lakes, legs dangling down into the warm brown water (which I'd later learn is typical of the swampy American Southeast, with its abundance of lake-loving cypress trees).


I hope Lukas remembers them, too. One of the most important lessons that my mother taught me growing up, was that it's important to take time to appreciate nature. It's almost like a form of religion. God is all around us, and there's no better place to experience the divine than in beautiful, unspoiled nature.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Elise,

I am so touched to hear that you remember the love of nature we shared and that you fid it important to impart that in Lukas. Your recent adventure to the zoo reminds me of a report I heard recently on NPR "How Birds Can Capture a Kid's Imagination". You can read it and listen to it at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91561739

Hugs,

MOm