Magnolias and Dandelions

Today has been a busy day. My wife is in spring cleaning mode, so we spent most of the day attacking the kitchen. It is a great feeling to accomplish something and see the results.

Tonight, Hannah was getting a little stir crazy after dinner. So, her and I headed outside to water the flowers with her new watering can that grandma and grandpa bought her for Easter. I was also wanting to take a picture of the magnolia tree behind the farmhouse that is in full bloom. As you can see from the picture, it is magnificent!

While I took pictures, Hannah addressed the dandelions, giving them more than plenty to drink. It was fun to watch the dandelions quickly close as she dowsed them with ice cold water from the hose. She was in heaven playing gardner to the pretty yellow flowers.

At what point do I tell her they are weeds and we don't like them? That is the beauty of children, I think. They are able to see the good in everything, even if it is an ugly weed. They see beauty in almost everything. For Hannah, there is beauty in the bugs that invade out house every year. We will hear a lady bug bumping off the ceiling and she'll scream, "it's a bug, it's a bug!" while pointing up and jumping like she just found a lost treasure.

God has taught me so much through her. God has taught me so much through watching my wife be a mother. It is unimaginable, the amount of things he has taught me over the last few years.

Thank you, little one, for being my joy and for showing me how much I missed about life and God before you came to us. I will do my best to cherish every moment and look forward to the moments to come!

Thank you, my love, for being a great mother to our daughter. As I have told you before, each day I see something in you, the way you deal with Hannah's terrible two moments, the way your eyes twinkle when you play with her, or whatever, that grows my love for you, farther beyond what I ever imagined!

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a beautiful daughter and a wonderful wife, who show me more and more each day about how to love and be loved. You are an awesome God who created both magnolias and dandelions, along with many other pretty and not so pretty things, like me. May I continue to revel in your beauty, greatness, grace, and love.