Watching Vultures

My mom's mother-in-law recently suffered a heart attack while on vacation, and thankfully she is okay.  Yesterday, the girls and I joined my mom in heading over to her house to spruce it up for her homecoming from the hospital today.  We simply washed the bedding, swept/cleaned the floors, dusted, that sort of thing. 

While we were waiting for the sheets to dry, (all the other cleaning was done,) I began to read a book to my oldest.  After one chapter, the four year old decided to get grumpy and quite ornery.  So, I took a break to rock her to sleep, and my oldest took the opportunity to play outside.  (The house is out in the country, and earlier, they had been enjoying exploring the area very much.)  After she fell asleep, I laid the four year old down on the sofa, and quietly stepped out to check on the other. 

I didn't see her in the front yard and called out to her.  "I'm over here!" she yelled from behind the house.  "Come look!"  She ran up and grabbed my hand to lead me to the backyard.  I looked up to see what she was amazed at and there were three or four vultures circling around up above. 

"Ah, yeah," I said,  "Vultures.  They're probably looking for food.  I don't smell anything out here though."  I personally was not impressed at that moment, and was interested in why she was, knowing that she knew what they were.  And well, they're not the most attractive birds out there.  I'm glad I kept my mouth shut, though, about how I felt about them, because she continued talking.  "I've been watching them.  I think they lean to one side when they want to turn.  And when they bring their wings like this (demonstrating) they swoop down!  And they've been coming really close, and I can see their feathers and hear their wings!"  Her genuine excitement made me smile.  She continued to pretend to fly.

I quieted my nagging thoughts about vultures and simply watched them with her.  Their flight pattern really was neat to watch.  Hypnotizing almost.  When one flew lower, right over head, we really could hear his wings beating, hitting against the wind.  It was amazingly quiet out there.  And that really was something.  I never would have stopped and watched for so long or listened so intently had it not been for my daughter.