Who blogs about a baby salamander?

Who blogs about a baby salamander? Or lizard? I'm not really sure what the difference is, and perhaps if I backtrack in my brain multiple decades and imagine myself back in my high school biology class with Miss Wimbish, I would remember. Or google. I could just google it. But since that's not the point of my story, I will continue not really knowing the exact specimen of one of the main characters in my story. 

However, what I do know for sure is that this story of a baby salamander/lizard was a magical and tender moment for me. And therefore I cannot help myself but to tell the story...

The Pacific Northwest sunshine was uncommonly warm on this mid-September day. My daughters Elizabeth and AnnaLisa were with me. We had met some dear folks who were on a tour of our beautiful state college campus. After we had said our goodbyes and were about to leave, Elizabeth remembered she had a book in her car that was long overdue, so I walked with them back to their car to retrieve it and return it to its appropriate owner. 

As we walked in the brilliant autumnal sunshine talking excitedly about our life happenings, Elizabeth stopped abruptly, and exclaimed passionately, "Oh look, a baby lizard!" 

Right before our eyes on the red brick walk, she had spotted the tiniest baby lizard I had ever seen  quickly making its way somewhere. And even though someone, anyone, could have stepped on that tiny creature snuffing out its life without even knowing it, I observed my gentle 23-yr-old daughter cooing and wooing it to her as she tenderly put her hand down on the brick pavement. The little creature obliged her and crawled right up, where Elizabeth then cradled it and sent her nurturing feminine divine love into its little being. 

Time seemed to stop at that moment, and together, we three human beings and this one little tiny amphibian creature were one in this window of pure love and peace and warmth, communicating from one living creature to another the universal language of love. 

It was only for a couple of minutes, and then Elizabeth tenderly released baby salamander to a safe haven in the ivy borders surrounding the brick walkway. And yet, those moments were a magical interlude into a timeless epiphany of Universal Oneness.

Observing the daughter that I cradled and nurtured nurture a creature that someone else might have thought nothing about crushing the life from, brought me back to who I am...who we all are. Love. We are love. For me, I will remember. I will remember that gentle love my daughter demonstrated, and hope that I too may show it to all living creatures, great and small.