Note From LaoLao

Now this is "smelling the roses."

I was just reflecting on the walk Julianna and I took today. She enjoyed it and I'm enjoying it more now that I think back on our talk as we walked.

She took in everything around her, first with the red berries on the dogwood tree and she wanted to know all about them. I told her that they were not for eating because the berries would soon be white flowers or the birds could eat them if they wanted to.

After a little while, she said, "I'm quiet today," She started picking up pinestraw, a leaf or two, and pinecones to go with the berries she told me to hold. She said she was going to make her Mama something with them. At the end of the street she said that her Mama wanted that house but they didn't get it.

We found a dead bird and I told her that that bird was now in bird heaven. She said, "how long will it be before God raises him up." At a loss of words sorta, I told her that God would not bring the bird back to life but that his soul was already in heaven. She said, "one day my soul will be in heaven too." And I said, "and mine too." She said, "one day everybody's soul will be in heaven."

We didn't make it around the block because she said she was tired. So we took a shortcut and came back home. She was happy to be back on Samantha Drive and saw familiar sights. I could see it on her face. On our walk, every now and then she would reach up and slip her hand in my hand. I guess she was a little unsure where we were.

There was more because she talked a lot, but bottomline, being a little bit under the weather caused me to slow down and spend precious time with my fascinating little China doll.