February 25, 2011- Holy Tulip

Beautiful.   Maybe I’m a tulip junkie.   I can’t get enough of it… perhaps because I know my days are so numbered. 

Day two.  Full bloom.  Makes me smile.

~K

February 24, 2011 – Waiting to Exhale

  

Our tulip tree finally is blooming.  The kids and I have  been waiting… watching… noticing… and now, finally, here she goes.

The tulip tree doesn’t bloom for long, but it’s a great first indicator of spring and the silver lining to when she’s done blooming is my yard is, for just a moment, covered in beautiful, pink petals as if someone had taken the time to lay each and every one out just so.

One of my favorite days, the day the waiting stops and she shares her blooms with us.  Today.

~K

February 23, 2010 – Sound Effects

If you could only hear the story that was being

told to me while I took this picture…

 

Or have seen my heart bursting at this natural smile…

Or have felt my pride in this big boy smiling in a big boy swing…

Or have heard the songs being sung as the two swing together happily in the sun…

Or maybe have noticed my relief as he requested his high ride in his baby swing…

Or to listen to the giggles that accompanied this…

And this…

IF… if only you could hear these giggles, sing along with these songs, listen to these stories and feel this joy…. THEN, … you would know just how purely content I was and overwhelmingly blessed to be a part of their afternoon in the sun.

~K

February 22, 2010 – I Sure Will!

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day as I began my grocery shopping.  45minutes later, my little guy was whining and I was standing checking out, tired, and as I paid the bill, I watched a kind gentleman bag my items.

His name is Sam and he was carefully bagging all of my groceries, making sure the eggs and bread were protected from the heavy canned goods and the cleaning supplies were kept separate from my fruit.   Sam is a hard worker with special needs.   He is a familiar face at the grocery, bagging groceries for people, bringing carts back into the store or waiting to give someone a hand in the parking lot.

We walked out, side  by side, and as I opened the door, Sam began to load my heavy bags one by one into my car, his button, ‘No Tips, Please’ shining in the sunlight.   I loaded my son into his car seat, buckled him in and went back to give a hand with the final bags.  

As he closed the back door of my car, I got into the drivers seat and looked back to thank Sam for his help today. 

“You’re welcome, ma’am”

“I hope you have a good day” I waved to him as I backed out.

“Oh, I sure will!”  he responded with a huge smile as he waved back at me and turned to go into the store.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It wasn’t the standard response, ‘thank you’ or ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘i hope so.’   Rather, it was, “I SURE WILL!”, said with conviction, from a man who believed his good day was his choice and one he’d already clearly chosen.

This moment, Sam’s response, has stuck with me all day.  What a fantastic outlook on life and what a remarkable way to live.

Thank you, Sam, for your help today.  You did far more than load up my groceries today-  you illustrated a wonderful lesson.  I am glad I chose to listen.

~K

February 20, 2010 – Jump!

Dogs on trampolines.  If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will…..

~K

February 19, 2010 – Perfect

In every single way….

Sunshine.   Dancing.   Giggles.  Hugs.  Picnics.  Trampolines.   Warm Grass.  Fresh Air.   Blue skies. Family.

48 hours of perfection.   I’m so grateful for each moment of it.

~K

February 18, 2010 – Take the Time.

I always take the time to work on our two elderly neighbors’ yards when we are out doing our own yard work.  My husband goes over in the winter and helps to plant their holiday tree and trim it with lights and I’ll occasionally take over hot soup to them for dinners or just check in with the kids to say hello. 

I do this happily, but also with the genuine intent of putting goodness out into the universe that the young neighbors of our elderly grandparents would kindly do the same.  Some would say that’s a selfish reason for my kind actions and not the right reason for helping, but I think I would respectfully disagree.  Rather, I think it’s a positive and hopeful thought.  

“When you are kind to someone, you hope they'll remember and be kind to someone else. And it'll become like a wildfire.” – Whoopi Goldberg

Below, one of my favorite quotes originally stated by Mahatma Ghandi, and paraphrased here from Pearl Buck.

“Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.” ~Pearl S. Buck

The real ‘selfish’ part of it is that we do it because it makes us feel so good.   It’s a minimal exertion on our parts, thirty minutes or an hour and the effects are long lasting-  from the ease you’ve added to people’s lives to perhaps more importantly, the example you’re setting for your children watching and learning from your actions, which lights the original match for your own personal wildfire to begin.

My grandmother hurt her knee this week shoveling ice, which I suppose has gotten my mind in this direction today.   I couldn’t figure out why I put so much out there,  kindness hoping to boomerang, - and yet these things still happen. 

I don’t know.   It doesn’t really matter-  it is simply hopeful thoughts for the boomerang.   I do know that it won’t stop how I choose to live. 

I will continue to take the time to simply take some time and hope that others light the matches for their own fires as well.

Scattered thoughts for today anyway….

~K