Finding the Beautiful

My husband’s grandma, Nana Mae, was someone who never lost sight of the beauty around her. There wasn’t a time you were with her that she didn’t compliment you, or tell you how pretty something was.

I’ll never forget the time Mike and I drove her to Los Angeles for Christmas. We were at a gas station along our drive on I-5 when Nana suddenly pointed her finger out the window and said, “Beautiful.”

I looked to see what she was talking about…

All I saw was a green garbage truck pulled over near the gas station.

That’s a beautiful green,” she said, shaking her head. She was looking right at the truck.

I smiled.

She was talking about a garbage truck, but still, she saw beauty in it.

As moms, we can choose whether or not we see the beauty, too. We can look for the beautiful right in the middle of what sometimes feels like the garbage of our days—the messes all over the house, the kids’ arguing, the crazy running around.

And we play a huge role in whether or not we set a “beautiful” tone for our families. 

Are you carrying the beauty? Or are you seeing the garbage truck (like I did) instead of its rich, green color?

Are you catching the memories that are being made right in front of you, or are you losing your patience and longing for just-one-minute-alone?

Are you savoring today, or do you just want time to speed up so your kids grow into the next phase when, hopefully, things will be easier?

Are you stopping to love and soak in these moments of being a [parent] to a newborn, a six-month-old, a two-year-old, or even a teen?

It’s sometimes hard to do (believe me, I know), but that is where the real beauty is—in those intentional moments of soaking it in, in those choices to appreciate and marvel at all that comes with being a [parent].

When we do, we find it.

We find the beautiful.

Wishing you many beautiful moments today!--Adapted from Genny Heikka

Adapted from  http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/finding-the-beautiful. Photo by D Sharon Pruitt via Flickr.com.