Please let me see a hedgehog.
This is the prayer I have heard from my girls every single night as they have fallen asleep for the past 2 months. They have studied hedgehogs on the Internet, watched nature shows about them, and interviewed every person they've met on this journey about their own experiences with these prickly adorable creatures. With the help of a friend, they even built a "hedgehog nest" in our backyard, faithfully placing in it apple cores and worms whenever available.
And they have prayed. So earnest was this nightly prayer said by these two little animal lovers, that I too began to pray that they would, indeed, get the opportunity to see a hedgehog. As the summer went on and on, with no hedgehog appearances, the prayers grew more insistent.
On a warm Wednesday night just before their birthdays, around 1am, my husband heard the awkward rustling and lumbering of a hedgehog in the garden. As a pure act of love for his children, he got out of his cozy bed, armed with a flashlight and a towel, to see if he could catch this particularly large individual. It was discovered hiding in the nest the girls had prepared.
There are very few elective reasons for awakening sleeping children on a school night, but this was one of them. Hopefully you can appreciate the glee of the moment despite the fact that my photography skills are sup-par at 1am! I was so happy for my girls to finally see their favorite animal that I didn't even mind the dozens of fleas launching themselves into the bathtub. In case you are concerned, we only held him for a few minutes before releasing him into the back yard again. We are into animal rights as much as you might be.
Two months of praying seems like a long time to little girls. As their mother, I can see now that it was in the waiting that the prayers grew more persistent. I can see that just as their father got up in the middle of the night to catch this hedgehog, that perhaps their Heavenly Father went out of His way to granting this privilege. A simple act of love for little girls who love creatures He has made.
Now the bedtime prayer has turned to praise: Dear Jesus, thank you that we got to see a hedgehog.
Travelling with animal-loving children is an invitation to stop and admire some of the intricate detail and care taken with even the least of creation... like snails after a rainstorm...
... and jellyfish washed up in the north sea...
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... and the sheer intelligence of the largest praying mantis we have ever encountered...
In addition to the creatures of the wild we aim to appreciate, we have started a collection of zoo visits. This trip to Europe has included the Stuttgart Zoo and beautiful botanical gardens, Odensee Zoo of Denmark, Frieberg Wild Animal Park, and of course, the Basel Zoo. All of this proves that it doesn't take living on a rural farm to enjoy nature, it take being interested in finding it wherever you are.
Animals inspire creativity, stretch the imagination, and excite new motivation for learning. And we sure are glad we got to see a hedgehog.
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