A lesson from Mother Nature....

Do you ever wonder about God or our existence?   I do.   Especially after losing loved ones.

These days, I’m prompted to question more, to think deeper and to appreciate what I have. Grief has taught me that. I’ll always search for the answers…….

On Friday, we took a mini vacation in San Diego.  And after visiting some places and reveling in the beauty and splendor of nature, I wondered about the big picture….how we all got here…where are we all going?

If it’s by chance…or evolution….or if there really is more meaning if we scratch the surface?

Nature was my teacher on the weekend, and of course Dempsey, who always reminds me to stay in the moment…that you can find magic in what Mother Nature has gifted us with and to never ever forget to be a kid at heart! :)

We packed the car with an overnight bag and armed with our trusty GPS we headed off to the San Diego Safari Park.

Through the entrance like ants going to a picnic, we followed other families, pushing strollers and hanging on tightly to their littlies hands.

Dempsey wanted to try the Zip line over the park…she wanted to sail through the air on a cable with the animals underneath her.   I told her “Precious I don’t think we should attempt fate, knowing our luck, the line will break and we’ll drop into the lions den!” :)

We stopped by the flamingo enclosure, and this is where I started to feel the magic of the animals….. How do they get the pink color on their feathers? And why? Why do they only stand on one leg?

The flamingo is such a beauty….a work of art! (like Dempsey) :)   It made me wonder who or what designed this magical creature?  

And as I was deep in thought, I realized Peter and Demps had wandered off, following the herd of humans onto the next miraculous attraction.

We entered the petting zoo with a handful of stinky pellets where eagerly awaiting goats followed us around.

They were hardly shy, and you daren’t bend over in front of them….they bordered on being classified stalkers!

But Dempsey loved it!  I couldn’t stop smiling as I listened to her infectious giggles at their obsession of her hand.

Down into the shady bowels of the park we went, listening to the comforting sound of man made waterfalls and the distant holler of some exotic birds.  We found the safari tram about to depart on a tour of the rolling hills where the bigger wilder animals were.

With a slight breeze in the air, we made ourselves comfortable in anticipation of seeing some magnificent animals roaming the grounds.

“Look Mummy, Look!” Dempsey screamed, pointing at the majestic giraffes!

As the tram pulled up as close as we could get to these freaks of nature, nibbling on the bark of the palm trees, I again relished in the beauty of our world and why, oh why, are some animals like they are?

It’s like someone has taken out a box of crayola’s and designed something exotic and unique. 

Admiring these towering tremendous animals, was like a magic spell had been cast on me….it was peaceful and serene, soaking in the beauty of this place.

Dempsey was excited about the gorilla enclosure, even though we saw more of the silver back’s butt than his face!

This tough guy also made me wonder….this so called close relative of ours conjured up some funny thoughts too….like, if we are here via evolution, then I’m glad we’ve evolved with a little less hair!

After trekking from one end of the zoo to the other and witnessing some amazing creatures, we stopped for lunch…..then the enormous elephants, another fascinating beast.......

Gotta love an owl with attitude!! :)

I decided to be a big kid and share the carousel with the little ones….much to Dempsey’s embarrassment! :)

A coincidence that I climbed aboard a hummingbird amongst the huge array of zoo animals on the old fashioned round about??

And as the big old machine whirred and circled Peter, I felt such a level of peace and joy in experiencing a day with a world full of natures gifts….simply in awe!

On the way home Saturday morning, we diverted to Laguna Beach…..the rhythm of the water and the crashing of the waves reminded me life is bigger than us…like a kaleidoscope.

That we are but players in the grand scheme of life….here to enjoy and find our own way on this journey. To evolve ourselves….and find our own meaning.  And, to allow nature to be our biggest teacher of what is really important in life…..

Balancing, with one hand on the car, dusting off the sticky sand on our feet, Dempsey, excited, exclaimed, "Look what I found Mummy!" 

Outside her door, one last reminder to me, of the mystery of life and the possibility of a higher place or being…a feather! :)

As Peter took on the L.A traffic back to our house, Dempsey played her DSI and I stared out the window, contemplating all I’d seen on our trip……

If earth is like this, magical and majestic…then I wonder, I just wonder about the beauty and mystery of where Savannah is? :)

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