In Celebration of Small Things

There are days that I wonder if I'm .........

"a little different from all the kids in the class".

At some point in my life, early on, I began to notice the "little things".

Some of it began because of all the camping trips I took as a child. My dad's younger sister, Kathleen and her husband took me to every nook and cranny of Colorado. My uncle was a geologist. I learned from him all the formations and types of rocks. Yes, even today, I have piles of rocks in my backyard that we have grabbed from our travels, or found in the piles of river rock used in our landscaping.

From Aunt Kathy I learned the name of birds and all the wildflowers we saw on our hikes. It set me on a course for noticing Nature around me. For actually noticing almost everyday, the sunrises and sunsets. For the Aspen trees, and the unique way the leaves flicker in the wind, and the unique sound it makes.

Then I began to realize that its not all about nature and the outdoors that matters. Inside our houses there are the amazing ways that the light streams through windows. Or the way the shadows fall across a room. Small lamps or a candle flickering in the window can make a house change from a house to a home. I have a lantern with a votive inside that sits between the kitchen ledge and the dining room. It's made of colored mosaic glass. Twice a day, in the morning and then in the evening, the light comes through the windows and it reflects little light flashes around the room. I think of it as the fireflies coming out................. alas....no real fireflies in Colorado. (Except that one summer, Dad).

And.........I'm fascinated with lace drapes. If we lived in the country and privacy weren't an issue, I'd have them on every window. I love looking outside through them, and this time of year, late in the afternoon, I love the way the sun shines through into my bathroom.

I know, I know...........a little nutty, but there you go.