The little things

A couple weekends ago Brandon camped out for basketball season tickets. He spent 2 nights in the cold rainy weather with nothing but the things he brought with him. They had random check in times all through the day and night to try to eliminate participants. He had to stay nearby and could not travel far for food, warmth or even to use an indoor bathroom. He came home tired and dirty, but with his prized season ticket gold card. After a nice long shower and sleeping in his warm bed for most of the day he found a new appreciation for the little things. A pair of clean dry socks and indoor plumbing was enough to keep a smile on his face for days. It made us think, what else are we not appreciating?

The next week, after a short battle my grandmother lost her fight with cancer. She was diagnosed late and was only treated with radiation to help with the pain. Luckily she was in great hands and they were able to keep her comfortable until she passed quietly with all 3 of her daughters together by her side. My grandmother lived 89 years on this Earth and was married to my grandfather for over 60 of those years. A visit into Greensboro for her funeral was to celebrate her life and spend time with our family. My sister's husband was doing missionary work in Uganda and she was able to leave 4 of her 5 kids with my Dad back in Atlanta, Brandon was in class and my mother-in-law was willing to watch all 3 of my girls, and my brother's girlfriend was sick and left to heal alone in Asheville. For the 1st time in a very long time it was my mom with her 3 kids and very little to distract us from one another. We talked about my grandmother and the times we had together. We looked through a scrapbook my aunt put together and laughed about how much I look like my mom and how silly my brother's hair looked. With everyone in so many different places and so many of us we rarely can get together all at once. It was nice to visit, and I realized how much I miss that.

Last week we celebrated Bella's 1st birthday. We had a small dinner to celebrate her big day with family and our neighbors. Since it was only about 20 of us (7 of which were kids) we had a great time just having a meal and watching football. The kids decorated leaves, the men talked about their teams, and the ladies watched Bella trying to maneuver on those tiny feet. It was great to have the chance to stop our hectic lives and just have an evening with the ones we love.

The next morning all cleaned up from the fun we decided we needed to have time alone, just the 5 of us. It was a beautiful fall day so we decided to take a vacation day. We packed up all the kids and went to the Asheboro zoo for the day. Before Brandon started school a lot of our weekends we dedicated to this kind of thing. We have visited every park and museum that I know of within an hour radius of our house. But we knew our outings would have to wait while school is in session. Honestly, since we haven't been in such a long time it made it that much more special. The girls faces lit up with the first animals we saw and the day continued the same. We walked around holding hands, munching on candy corns and talking about the sounds animals make. It made me love all my girls and my husband all over again.


Those smiling faces say it all. It seems I get so caught up on trying to save money or keep the house clean that I miss out on the little things. I have 3 little girls that look up to me for everything. Are they going to care if the mantle is dusted?! It's time to focus on what's really important.