Short & Sweet: Simple Days

Yesterday, my little girl ate yellow squash without disdain, and it was a proud MOMent since she refuses vegetables on a daily basis. In true mama fashion, I couldn't help but brag on such progress, because it came so unexpectedly. Placing a short post on Facebook, someone soon commented saying, "sometimes it's the little things."

How true. The little things unexpectedly grab us and remind us to focus on the progress-making. When I put my daughter to bed last night, I took a few minutes to remind her and myself of all the little things, the seemingly insignificant things that are actually important and crucial, that we had accomplished that day, including my burning of a grilled cheese because my focus was on cleaning up spilled milk.

Her little eyes stared up at me as she quietly listened to me recall the events that made up our day, her quietude another "little thing" to add to the list when she typically squirms and fusses before bed. As I spoke of our day, the cataracts that clogged my vision cleared and I realized that such a simple Tuesday would likely be the most significant day of the week in the life of my one year old, thus making it my most significant day as well.

There were no bells and whistles to our Tuesday. It was a day at home filled with chores and fun and learning, but that day is one I hope to never forget. It was a day that God had made, and we were thankful and joyful. Sometimes our simplest days are most crucial in the grandeur of life.

For anyone who wishes a seemingly unimportant day could hold more meaning, I'd recommend Emily Freeman's book, Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World, in which Emily offers her perspective on slowing down, a practice difficult for many, especially myself.