Even though I have grandchildren of my own, it seems like it was only yesterday when I returned home from school to find a frog in my bedroom.
My mother just chuckled when I yelled out, "I found a frog on my bed." Now, she knew that I would eventually find one but she let me discover a wonder of Nature that many people miss.
I am glad she did.
You see, a little earlier that spring, when I was 6 years old; I saw some little, black fish in a pond. Since I didn’t have any pets I went home and asked my mother if I could have one.
After we talked about my catching some of the fish I saw, and the responsibility of having a pet, she agreed.
She gave me a bowl, told me to go catch a few, and said that while I was out she would prepare their new home. Off I went.
There were so many that they were easy to catch. I filled the bowl and ran home.
When I got home, my mother had an old fish bowl filled with water sitting on the corner of my desk. She asked to see the fish, looked, and with a big smile said, "Tadpoles. – Wow! You are in for a surprise."
I asked what she meant and she just said that I would have to wait and see, but to watch my fish carefully.
After a few weeks, I noticed some were changing. "Mom," I yelled with excitement. "Come here, my fish are growing legs." She came into my room, looked, smiled, and told me to keep watching.
After several more weeks, there were more changes. "Mom," I yelled with excitement. "Come here, my fish are growing front legs and their tail is going away."
She came into my room, looked, smiled, and told me to keep watching.
A week or so later when I got up, I was amazed. There were more changes. My fish didn’t have tails, their legs were bigger, and they didn’t look like the little black fish I had caught earlier in the Spring.
"Mom," I yelled with excitement. "Come here, my fish are really different." She came into my room, looked, smiled, and told me that a surprise was very close.
That day, when I returned home from school, is when I yelled out, "I found a frog on my bed."
"Surprise," yelled mom. "You watched a miracle right before your eyes. A fish changed into a frog.
Now you had better catch and take him and the other almost frogs back to the pond. I don’t need 50 more surprises tomorrow morning."
Off I went.
