Okay…so, granted, the economy is not a whole lot of fun right now (stinks!), and well, there’s plenty of other things to not be overly thrilled about either. In my own world, I found out today that my Mom has been in the hospital for the past couple days and didn’t even let me know. Here’s the thing though – through it all, and when we aren’t particularly feeling like it’s easy to keep our heads up – we can look at the little people in our lives and realize how lucky we are in that things that truly matter. We are loved and we are blessed! No bottom line and no paycheck can make up for that singular smile that creeps across our faces when our children light up our lives.

I remember when we had sold our last house, and were just getting ready to break ground on the one we live in now. The sale had already gone through. We no longer owned the home we were living in, but had leased it back temporarily. I was in the bathroom packing, and Drew was supposed to be keeping an eye on Kate. Well…something had gotten Drew’s attention (not Kate!) and Kate got a hold of a LARGE PERMANENT BLACK moving marker. By the time I came out of the bathroom to find Kate and her newest endeavor – she had managed to write on three doors, the wood floor in the hall, several walls, her dress, herself (of course!), her brand new quilt on her big girl bed, the chair that belonged to my father before it belonged to me which had been given to her, and her toybox, assorted toys, oh…and let us not forget the carpet as well. Now remember, we did not own this house anymore! And, we had already put our money into the new house. The LAST thing I wanted to do was pay for repairs on a home I wouldn’t even be inhabiting. So, I went to the kitchen, I sat down, and I began to weep. Drew was remaining calm, assessing the situation and damage control, while trying to calm me. And, up walks sweet little innocent (not really – but she was) Kate wearing a headband with a big old flower sticking up on it, and she says to me, in a way only an innocent child ever could, “Hi Mommy!” And, right then, I had to laugh. She had no idea what chaos she had created. And, really, it didn’t matter. She was fine. She was healthy. We were fine. The walls and doors got a new coat of paint, the floor got sanded and buffed a bit, the carpet was cleaned (amazingly), and well, the quilt still has a mark as does the chair and her toy box. The dress is long gone. Kate most likely has no memory of the incident. I will never forget it. And, the lesson is this…BREATHE!
They are only little for such a short period of time. Enjoy it, embrace it, and I guess like the old commercial used to say – “Never let them see you sweat.” They’re little, they’re resilient and we should likely take notes. If we’d lighten up, the world could be brighter. And, just so you know, I am going to try to take my own advice here!
So SMILE! Nothing is more precious that our babies!