A Small Surprise

There's nothing I enjoy more than spending a Saturday with my friend Haley.  I'm am very fortunate our friends entrust me with their child.  This child is very special and a true joy!

I see a bit of myself in Haley.  She is growing up with two older brothers, both brothers are 7 and 9 years older than her.  I grew up with brothers 9 and 12 years older than me.  She is a true girly girl, but loves getting her hands dirty.  Her favorite color is PINK and is treated like a princess.  She is truly loved by everyone and will tell everyone if she loves them, if you are being mean to her, or if you're not paying enough attention to her. She is not afraid of showing how happy she is or how sad she is.

On one of our Saturday's together, we created more crafts than ever before, baked, played "Old People", watched a movie and spent a good amount of time in the potting shed.  Haley brought her pink, Disney princess gardening tools and couldn't wait to go and dig some dirt.  The potting shed needed a good cleaning and much attention was directed at the many sleeping plants.  We deadheaded, watered, plucked, cut, moved and rearranged the plants, waking them up in the low winter sun that shown through the windows.

When the potted plants were moved, we found a small surprise.  A little mouse that had peacefully died amongst the potted plants keeping warm on the radiant floor.  Haley immediately fell in love with this little guy.  I have never seen a child gush over a dead rodent like she did.  She keep telling him how beautiful he was, what a cutie pie he was, and pointing out to me how cute this little pest was.  


She fell in love with him so much she said, "Miss Barb, go get the camera so we can take his picture. I love him so much I want to take his picture so I can bring him home with me."  Haley even made her mom a special card, with 'mousies' picture covering the front like a top model on the cover of Vogue. 


Haley is an amazing child who has love and compassion rooted in her soul, teaching me, through a child's eyes, to see the beauty in things I would not normally notice.  I just hope she never finds beauty in a big old fat spider. Then it will be my turn to have her see that small creature through my eyes !!










Barbie