Broccoli and Cheese, and Butterflies

The crackling energy of the five-year old girl and the three-year-old dog bounding through my house reached a point that the house itself was shaking. So, I used the tried-and-true grandparenting technique of suggesting an after-dinner walk, hoping we could channel the energy, use it up, and come home calmer.

By the time we had been around the block and were heading back to the house, the sun was low in the sky and the heat and that deep calm of a summer evening was starting to settle in to the neighborhood, as well as each of us. Our pace was now lazy, and contented.

“Listen to how QUIET it is…” she said in a loud whisper. We stopped for a moment, and just listened. “What do you hear?” I said softly. She closed her eyes for a moment and stood listening. With her eyes still closed she tipped her head up a little bit – and said in a soft whisper, “I hear broccoli and cheese, and moonlight, and stars, and butterflies being tucked into their flower petals for the night.” She opened her eyes and looked at me, with wide-eyed sincerity. I just nodded, and we walked again.

I was a little disappointed in myself, that I had only heard one bird singing. And I wasn’t sure if I’ve ever even noticed what broccoli and cheese sounds like. “What DOES broccoli and cheese SOUND like?” I asked. She instantly cupped her hands in front of her and made a soft hissing sound. Yes, I thought – I actually do know that sound – when broccoli is fresh out of the pot…and that sound probably had been wafting through the summer air, but more likely caused by a cicada or bug somewhere. “Are those your favorite things?” I asked. “Yes!“ she said, “ I LOVE broccoli and cheese. And butterflies.”

And with that, we walked back into the house, and I was quite certain that although I could not see them, there were butterflies getting tucked into their flower petals for the night somewhere in my yard. And I told myself to listen and watch a little closer for all the things I love in the world. They are there – around us all the time – sometimes we just don’t stop and stand still long enough to notice them.

Thank you, God – for the goodness and beauty you have put around us in this world. Help us to stop, look, and listen, long enough to appreciate your goodness, always. Amen.

Diana is a founding member of Peace Church, and spends lots of summer evenings on her screened porch, trying to put her phone down long enough to watch the fireflies…and listen.