Squirrels

We have squirrels. Lots and lots and lots of squirrels. Our cats sit in the windows watching them, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. Our kids stand at the windows and watch them, chattering excitedly about the furry little critters. You would think they were the most unusual animal in the world the way our household goes on about them!

The truth is that, for our children, squirrels are "new." You see, for six years we lived in northwest MS. There are no squirrels in NW MS. There were no forested areas cleared for the housing developments or the commercial growth - it was all farmland. No trees, no squirrels.

So, when we moved to southeast Arkansas nearly a year ago, one of the first things the girls noticed was the plethora of squirrels! And, they were immediately fascinated.

I must confess that Doug and I were excited about the squirrels, too. Well, not so much the squirrels themselves as what they represented - trees. You see, we are both tree-lovers. We planted six trees in the yard of our house in MS. We couldn't stand the thought of owning a house with a tree-less yard! When we moved to Arkansas, the squirrels represented to us the presence of many trees, and we were excited.

Over the past year, Doug and I have become a little less excited about the squirrels. So far they have not been pests - no squirrels in the attic that we know of. No chewed cables or wires. No issues. It's just that they're squirrels. They are plentiful. There's nothing super-special about them.

Our children, however, are a different story. They still stand at the window and watch the squirrels. They still get excited about each one they see. They still try to come up with ways to tell them apart so they can name them - yep, all 500 of them! They have not at all lost their enthusiasm over the little critters. It is still as fresh as it was when we moved in eleven months ago.

Squirrels aren't necessarily worth my great excitement, but there are other things that I have allowed to become mundane that are worth my excitement.

Little things like singing "Jesus Loves Me" with my children. Little things like the umpteenth Lego or bristle block creation that looks just like the first dozen but is described as something totally different. Little things like the delight of snuggling on a rainy day.

"Little" things like the power of John 3:16.

Maybe I need to learn something from the excitement about squirrels. Maybe I need to be reminded to take pleasure in everyday things. And maybe, just maybe, I'll grow a little bit through it all.