Life Sparks

by Kiri Jorgensen - Publisher and Senior Editor

Living on a small farm, I’ve had to get used to the fact that critters die. I’m a tenderhearted soul, so this has always been hard on me. I’m still adapting.

Early in our farm adventure, a neighbor brought us a small gosling that had been abandoned by its mother. We were raising chicks at the time, so we threw in the goose too. We named him Gary. His feet seemed to be turned in a bit, so he often stumbled as he walked. As he grew slowly, we’d haul him out to the creek and let him wander and play a bit. We loved Gary the Goose. But one morning, I found him dead in his kennel. We have no idea what happened to him, but it probably had something to do with why his mother abandoned him in the first place. She knew things about baby geese that we didn’t know. We’d tried our best to provide his needs, but his body wasn’t right to grow.

We’ve had the same thing happen with birds, cats, and calves. Each time, it’s hard to see a precious baby die. When a body is malformed, why do we still have the innate desire to help it live? I believe it’s built into our DNA. And I’ve come to believe that it is always worth our efforts to try.

Every living thing in this world has a spark inside it. It’s miraculous, really. That spark brings with it the potential for something much more than it has to start with. A spark that can ignite a flame and roar to greatness. Every living thing has this. Their potential is a beautiful mystery.

In our self-focused, dismissive, harsh world, some people are losing their ability to notice that spark. Sometimes they can no longer even see the flame in the life around them. They focus so much on their own fire, they can’t see it in the world around them. This can look like high crime rates, low volunteerism, relationship rejection, or screen addiction. But no matter what it looks like, not appreciating the sanctity of life has a more far-reaching effect than we realize.

How do we teach our children to revere life? How do we help them notice the sparks all around them? I believe these are vital questions in today’s world. If parents want their children to value life, they must teach that sanctity intentionally.

Look for opportunities to interact with living nature. Talk about the sparks you see, and point out the potential they each hold. Read books that show kids appreciating the life in the world around them. Let your kids see you affected by the loss of a precious spark, no matter the size it was to start with. Helping our children understand, recognize, and respond to life sparks will bring them joy. Their understanding is always worth our efforts to try.

When our kids learn to see the life sparks around them, they come to see it in themselves, too.