BETWEEN THE LINES: BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE SNOW, SAND AND SURF

I started 1999 with a new appreciation for the strength and unrelenting power Mother Nature holds.

After celebrating the new year along the beach in south Florida I returned home to near blizzard conditions.

And I didn't see things getting much better during the week when my car didn't start and another ice storm hit Southeast Missouri. Needless to say, I skidded home and have been slipping and sliding my way around town ever since.

But the beauty of glistening snow banks and the chill of winter air brought me to a heightened appreciation of nature. Or maybe it was my vacation time spent with some friends and their young children.

Viewing nature's beauty through the eyes of a child can spark a new interest in the world. Suddenly everything -- from bugs to grass -- is important. And it should be.

Often I don't spend enough time noticing the budding flowers and singing birds. It's not that I don't enjoy their beauty, but I get distracted by the daily grind.

So as the final days of 1998 passed by, I spent time listening to the ocean tide and squawking seagulls. I made it a point to notice the flowers and bushes in bloom and the rainbow of colors illuminating the sky during sunset.

I resolved to notice more of the beauty surrounding me, particularly things I often overlook.

It helped that during that final week of 1998, I spent my vacation in the company of children. The family I had once babysat for while in college had invited me to Florida for a week.

Though I knew them as infants and toddlers, the boys are now in school full time. But they retained their infinite amount of energy, a quality that made each day spent with them an adventure.

We played in the ocean, dug for shells, built sand sculptures and dove in the pool during our stay on Sanibel Island. It was tiring but fun for all of us.

The younger child, Daniel, spent much of his time digging for shells. He wanted a collection to take back home and show his classmates and friends. Everything he saw had the potential to make it into his collection.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep track of the fallen palm leaves, pack the coconut or climb the tree to knock down some very unripened bananas. His mother appreciated that fact, I'm sure.

At the worldly age of 7, Christopher was much more sophisticated about his souvenirs. He wanted something that no one else would have -- some extraordinarily beautiful shell or plant. But he'd settle for a few grains of sand to study under his microscope.

Watching these children play outdoors, I realized how much of our lives are shaped by the natural settings around us.

Maybe those ice and snow storms are just a reminder to live at a slower pace and be cautious lest we skid past our destinations.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.