I’d like to share some Comox Valley wildflowers with you.

Some are from the oceanside, the mountainside, and in between.

Wildflowers intrigue me.  They are not predictable.

They show up when you least expect them to.

I’ve learned to bring a camera on my drives, out and about, to capture these independent beauties.

From birth, I noticed an independent spirit, that prevailed, in my oldest son’s heart.

Once he could walk, I really appreciated the seatbelt in his stroller – never mind the one in the car!

Sometimes I felt like a careless mom letting him walk off a little farther than the other moms let their children go.

But I had my eyes on him – like a hawk!

It’s just that some children need more room to roam.

When we lived on our acreage,  I had a dinner-bell hanging on the front porch.

It was not just for looks; however, but also for my son to hear when it was time to come in.

Some children, like bedding plants, stick close to home:  some are like wildflowers…

There is no right or wrong in this.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

I have heard a take on this verse that really makes sense to me.

We are to encourage our children in the direction that God has placed in their hearts to go.

It’s not about the parent’s wishes – it’s about God’s will.

Remember that the lion, in the Chronicles of Narnia, was not a tame lion.

I don’t think that we can safely predict God’s plan for our children anymore than we can predict where the next wildflower will show up.

We are to teach them about God as we go about our daily lives.

If we are “present” – there will be many opportunities for this.

It helps if we are reading God’s Word, ourselves, regularly.

Can’t give what we ain’t got!

And we can’t predict how life is going to pan out…

I think, respectfully, that God is wild at heart!

I hope you were able to make it through the entire wildflower tour, from the Comox Valley, here on Vancouver Island, in Canada.

I just couldn’t weed out anymore pictures than what I already have… remember that God has his own plan for our children, and weeds are flowers too!

Growing in Christ ~ Wendy

PS – Many of these photos I took after dropping off our son at his favorite hiking spots.