Oak Tree in an Acorn: Our New Pet

Monday, June 1, 2009

Our New Pet

Olivia has been asking for a pet for the last year or so. We have been telling her that Genevieve is like her pet, and she can help us take care of her and play with her anytime. Well, we got away with that for a little while, but now Genevieve is "asserting her independence" and is no longer the docile little pet she used to be! ;) With the moving preparations and the business that entails, the last thing I want to worry with is a pet (Of course, I might be tempted if it was a mini pig!) And although Grandma and Papaw Yeager have welcomed us with open arms this summer, they might not be too keen on a summer guest of the four-legged variety.
A creature of the six-legged variety, namely a walking stick, came to visit our porch a week a go.

Olivia latched onto him, and declared him her pet. His name is "Walker" (although after reading about walking sticks on the internet, I think "he" is a "she"...most are.). He likes bramble from our berry bush, and Olivia takes him out of his terrarium (she emptied her piggy bank funds to buy one) for his daily playtime. The first night we had him, he also had storytime, and both girls sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for a lullaby. Eve asks to hold him, but I still think she can't decide if he is really an insect or a stick because she keeps talking about a stick on a tree. The whole mimicry/camouflage thing could be pretty confusing for a toddler, I imagine. Well, it's not a mini pig, but I have to admit, Walker is pretty interesting and a very low-key pet. Maybe we'll just have to ask Grandma if we can keep him this summer.

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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.