Simple Joys

My mom and I were talking about an Oprah show that she had seen that was talking about Motherhood. She told me some of the comments made, and we laughed. I commented that Motherhood is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and if people realized JUST how hard it really is, I bet that many, many of them/us would chose another path (I personally would keep on the same path - but that doesn't mean it's the easiest thing I've ever done). Then the next thing I said is the stickler (is that a word?). Anyways...I said, "and there are no rewards in motherhood...at least until your kids are grown up." What a hair-brained thing to say or even think!! I remember when we were expecting our first child, I was visiting with a young stay-at-home mother, and I was telling her how excited I was to get to be a stay-at-home mom. She commented that it isn't all that great UNLESS YOU MAKE it that great. It takes a conscious effort every single day to make it a wonderful experience instead one of drudgery. At that time, I was really surprised, because I could only see through rose-colored glasses. However, it didn't take long until I realized what she meant, and I made it my goal, my challenge, to make motherhood a wonderful experience. I did great with that for awhile, then busier schedules kicked in, and more children arrived, and somewhere along the way routine kicked in instead of spontaneous playfulness and laughter.

Recently I heard this quote (I think it was from the Sunday morning Spoken Word program). "Simple joys are everywhere. All we have to do is notice them." Then the speaker went on to list things like a "clean counter, colors in the leaves, laughter..."

Now that I am noticing, my life is full of simple joys. For example, Jarin's cute way of saying, "I love you mom...SooooooSoooooo much!" Kamdens big bright eyes and the way he waves hi to me when I walk in the room. Emilie's energy and willingness to be so helpful. Braydens bright smile and excitement and willingness to want to talk to his "ancient" mom. Ira's willingness to be such a hard worker, and his desire to want to spend more time with his family. When my dishes are all done, when the laundry is totally caught up (even if it only lasts an hour), the smell of freshly cut grass, the warm sunshine, my kids giggles, my husbands "thank you's", my extended families support to be a healthy family. OK, I'm getting carried away. I could literally add to this list all day and not make a dent in all the simple joys I should be noticing on a daily basis, not just experiencing and then ignoring. There's a word for that, it's called "ingratitude".

My point of this post is to remind myself to notice the Simple Joys in life. They are all around me, and the rewards of motherhood aren't just 20 years down the road, they are everywhere, everyday - NOW.

Ira and Jarin enjoying the Simple Pleasures of the warm spring sun.