When I and my mom and kids were hunting for asparagus on Saturday, the kids found many interesting things along the side of the county road we were walking:  pretty rocks, sticks, empty bottles and cans, lengths of twine, a piece of a tire, and a broken handle off of who-knows-what.  At the kids’ insistence, we collected these random “treasures” in an extra sack.

And then my mom called Marsielle over to look at a real treasure that was hidden in the grass on the ditch bank:

It was a beautiful, well-cared-for nest of pale green eggs.  Our family doesn’t know much about birds, so we don’t know what type of bird calls the nest home.  We just admired and whispered and left as gently as possible, hoping the mama bird would return soon.

In a deal like that, I can only hope I’m conveying to the kids the preciousness of what they’re seeing.

Later, as the crew ate lunch in our dining room, my mom baited 3-year-old Marsi to tell the cowboys about something special we’d seen on our hike.

Beau played along.  “Marsi, what did you see out there?” he asked our little girl.

Eyes wide, knowing she had an audience, Marsi put one hand on each of her daddy’s cheeks and replied:  “A piece of a TIRE!”

I guess she’s right; we did see a piece of a tire.

© Tami Blake