Bennett decided to go out back to go bird watching today. He was armed with his binoculars, his bird Identiflyer and snow boots (although we only have mud right now, no snow). It was a crisp, sunny day, perfect for roaming the woods and listening for birds.
When he came in from his adventure, he couldn't wait to share his joy with me. A smile was permanently etched into his face. He proclaimed, "Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!"
I agreed with him by reminiscing over his basketball team's first win of the season earlier in the day. He quickly said, "Oh, that was great...but this was even better! Mom, it was just so beautiful out there, you have no idea. I was just walking around in the woods pressing the calls for different birds when out of nowhere they'd come flying towards me when they heard their call. I stood still for a while and kept pressing the button for the call of the Chickadee. Pretty soon all the Chickadees in Minnesota were surrounding me. Mom...I was so happy I cried! I've cried because I've been sad before, but never because I've been so happy. It was really cool!"
His eyes were tearing up as he was telling me. So were mine. That my boy was overjoyed with the presence of these precious little creatures touched my soul deeply. And he wanted to share it with me. He couldn't wait to share it with me. I'm honored to enter that hallowed place in his heart, that place where he holds things so dear, they spill out with emotion and touch all those around him.
We were on a walk as he was sharing all this with me. He talked and talked and talked while I kept telling myself, Drink it all in, Cori, enjoy this exact moment, this heart to heart connection while looking at him, all smiles. He apologetically said, "I'm sorry for talking so much about birds...I don't mean to force them on you."
"Oh not at all Honey! I love your passion. It's because of you I've learned to have a much greater appreciation for birds, their songs, the way they move and look. Thank you for teaching me. Your excitement for birds is contagious!"
It's the simple things in life....
* He blogged about it as well. You can read his experience in his own words here.
