“Daddy come quick!”

“Daddy, come quick!” There’s an urgency in her voice that catches me by surprise. For a brief moment I feel a rush of adrenaline through my body.

“You gotta see this!” The alarm and sense of danger fades quickly.

The mid-afternoon sun beats down with a gentle warmth. Theo is playing in the toy house near the hedges. He’s pretending to make dinner and I catch glimpses of him through the plastic windows as he goes about his task. 

Cece is around the side of the house, just out of view from where I’m standing. I walk around the corner, my feet like tigers hiding in the tall grass. I’ll get the lawn mower out this weekend, I make a mental note to myself.

“Our flowers bloomed! They’re so beautiful and big!” She’s walking from flower to flower smelling all of them. 

“Wow! Those are beautiful!” I scan the thick rows of peonies, my eyes darting between the colorful blooms. Whites, pinks, with a splash of purple where the irises peek out. 

I had noticed them a day or two ago when they first started blooming. But I’m glad to get a chance to see the beauty of the delicate petals through her eyes. The awe and wonderment as she makes me smell all the flowers with her. 

Nature is beautiful, especially through the eyes of a child.