:the one where i see trash, she sees treasure:

she never worried much as i took off toward the field. or if she did, she didn't show it. i imagine when someone has been through the hard stuff like she has, you just stop worrying along the way and trust Him.

it wasn't far to get to the field. the one with the tall grass, only bush hogged twice a year. the same one my mama played in as a little girl. telling of the racer snake that decided to chase her one day. she ran with all her might, squealing with fear, while her sisters rolled the ground with side splitting laughter.

i tiptoed through that part of the journey, watching every step, ever fearful of snakes. once i reached the woods, i feared no more as my neighbor friends crawled through the barb wire fence, careful not to get their clothes caught. we walked every inch of those woods throughout our childhood. we carved out tucked away club houses for our enjoyment. we swung from vines and walked barefoot in the creek. hours spent exploring and sharing stories. never noticing the sun going down until their mama whistled for them to come home. acres and acres of land between us and her, but that whistle, you could hear for miles.

we ran home, sad for the days end. yet always looking forward to the promise of tomorrow.

i walked through the leafy trees and around broken branches as she showed me every detail. this is the gate and those are my minnie flip flops for decoration. she took me to the bedrooms straight away. she climbed high claiming the top as her domain. a small place a the bottom was offered for my comfort. durgin's room somewhere to the left. she mentioned a branch broken by her cousin but quickly assured me that the brokenness was okay. she already understands imperfection makes way for character.

the little guy swung from branches declaring in a strained voice, this is how we climb. he could barely get those two flinstone feet off the ground but he was giving it all his might.

eisley continued the tour to another part of the woods. there was an old dog house turned upside down with a bunch of trampoline springs and leaves mixed together. i said, you should get daddy to take that to the trash. the mama in me, always purging and cleaning. to which she quickly replied, no! that's our treasure box. a reminder, one man's trash really is another man's treasure. she instantly saw value in something i thought held none.

so it is with people. easy to point out the ugly, no good, yucky side. much harder to look past all of that to see the beautiful. yet i'm certain god gave this one to me for this very reason. she makes me see. man oh man, have i been missing so much.