The Joy of Making a Bow from a Birch Sapling

Look what I made from a young birch sapling!

 Our son made this bow today out of a young tree and some electrical wire. 

Thanks for letting me shoot your store bought bow, sis!

 Our daughter didn't make this bow, but did make her own skirt.  And I see she has also stolen my boots.  (with my permission, of course)

You're welcome, sis!

Second daughter has swiped big sister's old sweater.  Perhaps thievery runs in the family, all in good fun!

The older kids were out shooting their bow today in a warm and balmy 47 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spring is really here!  The snow is melting and looking oh so dirty right now.  All the birch trees drop these little tiny seed pods all over.  It looks like sawdust on the ground, they are so small.  I've been without a camera for a week or so now and there's so many things to take pictures of.  These photo's were taken by my husband's camera phone.

The homemade bow from the upper picture is such a great reminder of why we want to train our children while they are young and pliable.  Incredible that you could bend a small green tree to such a shape, even at that size.  When these birch trees become mature their roots are so shallow, due to the permafrost not lurking far beneath, that you can walk right up to a rotten one and push it over.  It won't bend anymore, it's dying from lack of nourishment in some way. 

Let's continue the sometimes mental and emotional back breaking, muscle wrenching job of Motherhood and train our little saplings while they're young to love and honor Jesus with all their heart, soul, and mind and their neighbors as themselves, which includes their first neighbors, their very own siblings!  Whew, what a job and what an honor.  Oh that we wouldn't miss out on these wonderful opportunities and laughter filled days at hand.

We didn't finish anything we set out to do today.... but we finished well.  How does that happen?  Usually because my expectations have been lowered.  Perhaps I should do this more often.