All is black, and a small voice rouses me awake. "Mama....
Mama!! I think the trees are waking up!"
I blink and rub my eyes and try to focus on the clock. 5:00. It's still and dark outside...
"Mama... Can we please go see if the trees are waking up?? PLEASE?" Kaya asks.
We have been talking about Spring. How everything is starting to wake up from it's long Winters nap. The anticipation in her voice is so strong, I can't deny her.
Together, we stumble through the still-dark house, careful not to wake Papa and sister. We pull Carhartt's, boots and coats over our PJ's and head out.
The world is just starting to turn the blueish color of pre-dawn. I hold my little ones hand, and we head off through the yard, in search of waking trees. Off in the distance, I hear the first bird of the morning tune up his song. Not long after, he is answered from a bird in the other direction.
We head off towards the woods. The moist earth makes a squishy noise under our feet that makes Kaya laugh. She holds my hand, and walks with a determined step. As we pass the pine trees of the yard, Kaya cocks her head and whispers "Nope, they're still fweeping."
Slowly, dawn rises. By the time we got to our favorite spot in the woods, the sky is filled with pink streaks. We stop for a moment, and rest on a fallen tree. From where we sit, the rolling hills of our landscape surround us. We hear no cars, or barking dogs... The worries for tomorrow and stresses of yesterday are simply gone without a trace. Hand in hand, we listen to the wind in the trees and the symphony of birds, whose songs are rising to a crescendo to greet the new day.
Suddenly, Kaya gasps "Mama!!! LOOK!" and points her chubby fingers through the trees. My eyes are not quite so new, so it takes a minute to see what she's talking about. And then I see them. A group of deer are making their way through the woods to the corn field that borders it. They step delicately, cautiously, and then stop to munch on some grass that's been hidden by snow for months. "The deer are waking up!" she whispers, the excitement bubbling up in her voice.
I put my arm around her, and we sit. Watching and listening to the world come alive... The deer graze slowly towards the field, three adults and two smaller ones. They see us, but they don't show any sign of alarm, as if they sense we are not a threat. Kaya laughs when the two younger ones start to frolic a bit, bouncing in the last bit of snow that's left. They slowly make thier way to the field to forage for corn.
From above, we suddenly hear the trill of a chipmunk. We look up to see him in the branches of a tree, and he looks down as us and makes a scolding sound. "Well, should we continue?" I say to my little travelling partner. As we stand up and stretch my legs, something falls to the ground in front of us. "A NUT!" Kaya says with a big grin. "The trees woke up and threw us a NUT!" And she reaches for the dropped acorn and holds it in her hand to examine it. Her smile is contaigious, and before I know it I am laughing.... And so is she.
Hand in hand, we head home for breakfast and to show Papa and Nico the magical nut. On the way, Kaya starts singing a little song. "The trees woke up and threw us a nut... The trees are waking up. The trees are waking up. It's going to be Spring, so wake up trees..." My eyes well up with tears, I feel so blessed... To share a new day dawning with such an enchanted little girl is such a gift...
Good Morning, Mamas! May you have a blessed day!
