REDISCOVERING LIFE

Spring Rain into the Gutter, Jamestown, NC

There are people who really didn’t have much of a childhood due to a variety of factors and there are those of us seniors that simply have a hard time remembering back that far.  But like all things in life there can be second chances, especially if you are fortunate to rediscover life through the lens of a child.  And one of the many positive experiences that can come out of this social isolation for those who take the time to reflect is spending more time with the inquisitive children that make up the fabric of our lives.

Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with human beings such as children and sinners instead of important leaders of the time.  But he famously rebuked his disciples when he told them to ” let the little children come to me” for they haven’t yet acquired all the filters and baggage of seeing the world through the biased eyes of us adults.

Yesterday my grandson was outside walking the rain-soaked streets of Chicago with his parents.  He was quick to discover two common earth worms that had come topside because of the saturated ground.  It was a sight that most of us adults would have easily passed over with indifference.  Then on today’s walk he discovered that one had been trampled and the other was missing.  He understood that the first worm had lost its life on the busy path but the other must surely have escaped into the rushing waters of the gutter and down into the drains.  

When I was a child growing up in central Kansas before the loss of innocence, I remember that we children loved to stay close to the curbing after a Spring rain.  Once the flow slowed, it became great sport to build small mud dams and capture the runoff as it meandered down to the gutters.  Of course, we were barefoot and carefree in those days and I don’t recall finding any earth worms.  But if we did, I’m pretty confident in those innocent times that we would have let them pass onto freedom.  The Carolina rains today prompted me to recall those idyllic days and venture outside in the rain to capture a meaningful photograph of those childhood memories.

Life can be fragile, especially in dire times of a worldwide pandemic, but it can also be introspective for those who are paying attention.  And it can teach those of us who are willing to learn the lesson.