So many things to be thankful and grateful for today. I could easily go with the obvious. My husband was on a flight from Dubai to DC on Friday evening and is now home safely. My little boy is now smiling again, understanding that his dad did not, in fact, disappear forever. My spirited and smiling little girl never fails to make me proud. My mother in law arrived home safely, yet I’m sure exhausted after coming to help this week. How can I choose? So much goodness in abundance- so much I am so grateful for.
And yet… while all of these are givens, none of this was my chosen ‘moment’ for the day. Yesterday was a long day. We’d greeted Daddy home, trick or treated, bathed face painted babies, cleaned up the house… it was evening and I’d put both kids and their very jet lagged Daddy to bed. After turning off the lights, I slowly headed up the stairs for bed. One hand on the rail, another carrying the last load of things to be put away into little bedrooms and it was then I realized something.
My hand was sticking to the hand rail. The wooded hand rail going upstairs to the bedrooms was as sticky as a jar of jam. ‘You must be kidding me’, I thought, followed by ‘What in the hell is this??’ in my mind.
Then I remembered. I let the kids eat caramel apples on the floor of our room this afternoon. Their daddy was resting. They wanted to be near. They were kind and appreciative and as careful, apparently, as a 2 and 6 year old could be. And they left the remains of these happy moments stuck to my handrail.
Rather than being irritated, I smiled. I smiled at the babies living in my house, now sound asleep. I am grateful for the moments that led to the handrail’s current condition and I am so appreciative of the tired little sticky happy family that lives under this roof with me.
And that is the goodness I am most appreciative of today. Sticky handrails headed to bed. The point is that it’s so much more than that. And I absolutely love it.
~K
