Sledding

Yesterday I had the chance to go sledding with my two older boys. Fortunately, we have a nice hill behind our house and it is always fun to be out with them and feel like a kid again. We had only gone down the hill once when my oldest, Isaac, decided he wanted to check out the stream a little beyond the bottom of the hill. This journey to the water led us to follow the stream and to many animal tracks in the snow.  Soon, we were on our way, crossing under a bridge, walking through brush, and over logs making our way in the fresh snow downstream. We had a great time speculating what animal made which tracks, where they were going and why. Then suddenly, for just a few seconds, I saw a beautiful red headed bird with a black back and white front. Suddenly I felt so aware of my surroundings and blessed to be where I was at that moment. It was a moment I wanted to savor. I had never seen that bird in my backyard before and I live so close to where we were walking. I have always loved watching birds but have never learned to identify many of them. I asked for and received a bird book for Christmas, a newer version of one my mother had when I was small.  When I got home and looked up the bird, I found out it was a red headed woodpecker.
We did end up sledding more. We sled until my feet were so cold they felt like blocks of ice. It was a good day; lots of laughs, snow angels, and even a few snow balls too.