Oak Tree in an Acorn: Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge Week

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge Week

Brian took Olivia to the Balcones Canyonlands to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge week. This is the second time they have participated in this annual event and thoroughly enjoyed the activities. Olivia's favorite activity was Creatures of the Pond in which she and other participants waited out into the waters of a pond to collect animal and plant life that some UT scientists would identify.

One of the professors even remembered Olivia from last year. After this, they went on a hike and also visited a newly built butterfly tent.

Finally, they had a picnic lunch while watching the Snakes Alive! program where they were able to touch various reptiles. Olivia slept the whole way home. Meanwhile, Eve was still recovering from her concussion, so we hung out at home. Next year, we hope to take her too.

This year, we are participating in the YMCA's Adventure Guides which is similar to Indian Guides or Campfire USA clubs. We invited the rest of the Circle, the small group to which we belong, to come out to Balcones Canyonlands with us. It was a good turnout with 5 families attending, and it was nice for Olivia to get to share this experience with the other kids in the group.

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.