““If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Remember what it was like when you saw or experienced something special for the first time? The first time you saw an airplane (or flew in one), the first time you rode a bike or had a campfire or made s’mores? The first time you dove off a diving board or went snorkeling?

Life is full of “first experiences” – especially in our early years – those that seem larger than life itself. I have the joy of walking with Abigail through many of her “firsts” this year:

• First smile and laugh
• First crawl
• First tooth and food
• First steps
• First words

These are moments that parents all over the world treasure. Abigail had one of these special “first” experiences last weekend – she played with a cat! Now, she’s seen lots of animals for sure but she’s never spent one on one time playing with any of them until now.

Our neighbors, Tim and Margo, have a cat named Bertie. We visited their home for a meal and as we entered, I placed Abigail on the floor next to Bertie and watched to see her response. It was marvelous!

It was love at first touch – after petting her slowly, Abigail proceeded to rub her face against Bertie’s fur, give her a bear hug, and finally try to crawl all over the poor cat! In response, Bertie began to give clear “non-verbal” cues of “back off, kid…a little space, please!” which made Abigail hysterical! She couldn’t handle this soft, furry creature telling her “no.

Watching my children squeal with delight when they experience something for the first time is really quite splendid to witness because they see life with fresh, new eyes.

Their enjoyment of the experience is filled with awe and rejoicing. But then the time  comes when the scoop of vanilla ice cream just doesn’t have the same effect. They have tried other varieties now and may say, “I like chocolate better,” or “What else is there?” looking for something newer or better.

We live in a country where we are bombarded with advertisements throughout the day – things that we are told will improve our life, health, family, work, future, and so on. But sometimes (and maybe more often) we need to step back and say, “I don’t need to improve my life as much as I need to appreciate and enjoy it.”

The life, family, home, work, friends that we have – these are all gifts from God. We’ve all seen a child who, after receiving a brand new gift that was thoughtfully chosen for them, tosses it aside with disinterest after having another present placed in their lap. And that’s human nature.

But when I see Abigail scream with joy over watching how water shoots out of a water fountain, or a butterfly flying past her face, or by touching the soft fur of a cat, it places a hunger in my soul to stop. to pause. to look at the old or familiar in a new light of appreciation:

• Friends I’ve known for years
• my awesome husband of 12 years
• My oven that creaks and has a hard time lighting, but enables me to feed my family hot, yummy food.
• An older pair of Ugg boots that never cease to warm my feet
• the novelty of a fresh snowfall

…and maybe even a spoonful of regular vanilla ice cream, savored with eyes closed, eaten like it is my first time again.

Perhaps what we need is not a continual drive after increase or even improvement, but a deeper, slower, fuller appreciation and enjoyment of what we already have.

Appreciation breeds contentment and contentment breeds joy. And when you have a heart full of joy, and love, and peace – what more do you need?

It’s hard to improve on a squeal of delight 🙂