What's in the World, Mommy?

On a hike, he stopped to point at the sky and tell me how pretty it was.

This weekend, my three-year-old son walked out into the backyard after dark, looked up at the sky, and said, “I wonder what’s in the world, Mommy.”

Ever since he said it, I have tried to come up with an answer, and this morning I’m going to make an attempt to answer him.

What’s in the world?

Sweetie,

This world is full of beautiful things. In fact, there is something beautiful to be found everywhere, if you just take the time to look.

This world also is full of ugliness, but the way to handle the ugly things is to find a way to make them beautiful, either by working to change them, or to change the way you see them.

The world is full of all kinds of interesting people, each with their own interesting story. Get to know people – especially those you don’t understand and those you fear. If you don’t understand people’s behavior, try to see things from their perspective. Why do people act the way they do? There is always something to learn from others.

The world is full of energy, all around us. There is the energy from people, energy from trees, energy from the sun, and even energy from the tiniest bug crawling on the ground. And we are all connected by this energy, as part of the world, together.

The world is full of fun, and happiness, and tears, and sadness, and anger, and elation, and surprise. Feel free to actually feel all these emotions – and then let them go if you need to. Take charge of how you act and how you feel.

This world we live on is a marvelous place. Appreciate every part of it…the oceans and mountains, the plains and prairies, the amazing animals and plants. Learn about it and protect it. Realize its value.

And outside this world is the infinite expanse of space…stars and planets and suns. Look up at the stars to remember how very small we are, to put things into perspective.

Please keep looking up at the sky and asking questions. There is so much to learn, and so much to marvel at. I look forward to marveling at it all with you as you grow!

Love, Mommy