06-10-2008
Acknowledging Her Gifts
By RenaeProwling the used book store, Bug grabbed a copy of Magic Treehouse something or other. That was fine, but we had read a few books from the series and my excitement was as thin as our decade old towels. It would be destined for the rag bag after a few hours.
I hunted through the other selections. Old Mother West Wind by Thornton Burgess looked like an enduring book; a classic. Bug wavered. He was familiar with Magic Treehouse, but agreed to try a new theme and author. When he began elucidating the habits of rock chucks, squirrels, and foxes, I knew it was a good decision.
Since then we added Big Book of Animal Stories to the shelf, and even though Bug hasn’t read it in awhile his sisters delight in the discovery now. Tonight we read Why Grandfather Frog Has No Tail:
…And from that day to this every Frog has started life with a big tail, and as he has grown bigger and bigger his tail has grown smaller and smaller, until finally it disappears, and then he remembers how foolish and useless it is to be vain of what nature has given us.
Of course, I discussed the moral of the story with my spirited, four-year-old Sunshine. She understood the foolishness of Frog’s pride. We acknowledged that our gifts come from God. Then I added,
God gave you big, beautiful eyes. What else did he give you?
She exclaimed,
A big mouth!
It is a whole new adventure reading big brother’s books to this audience. The frog’s mouth was made as wide a door. Sunshine’s isn’t that large, but her personality sure is.
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