There is a running joke in our house that we are a family of nerds. If collecting things makes one a nerd then we definitely fit the description. It makes life interesting because each of us collects different or unusual items. My husband enjoys reading and has a big library of books. He also collects Viewmaster reels for their spectacular images in 3-D. My daughter is a musician and music lover. She plays the piano, flute and guitar. She owns an organ that she bought from a former teacher and a cherongo drum that she brought home from South America. I think that she would make room for even more instruments because she enjoys playing them and having them around her. My son is a sports fan. He began collecting baseball cards when he was a little boy.
I have always enjoyed being outside and like to learn about plants. I am in my element now since I am taking a master gardener class. Part of my studies have focused on identifying plants by their leaves. Plant identification becomes easier once you are familiar with different leaf shapes, margins, arrangement on stems, and coloration. Some plants are so similar that it takes a well-trained eye to distinguish the leaves of one plant from those of another in the same variety.
A lot of my home decor is adorned with nature or botanical images. I have a renewed appreciation for this collection now as I understand more about the uniqueness of each plant specimen and its contribution to God’s beautiful creation.
Like the plants, we each are “…..fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14.