"Best Day Ever" Joy
"Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!"
The number of times my children have uttered this exact sentence is surely in the hundreds.
Maybe thousands:
Broccoli Cheese Soup for dinner. Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
I clean out the car. Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER! (It like never happens, y'all.)
Family walk. Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
A bird poops on Dad. Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
Packaged cookies after school. Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
YOU WASHED MY BLUE SOCKS? Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
I don't know what it is about their use of childish hyperbole in all of these situations, but this inner, naggy rule-follower in me wants to squash their excitement.
Seriously? Best day ever? Because someone farted at dinner?
I don't think so.
And, yet - here they are. These precious little people who find joy in these smallest of things. Not "Ho-hum" and definitely not "UGH!" - which is the mojo I MUST FIGHT AT EVERY TURN while doing the daily tasks of raising them. Because let's be real here - a lot of it sucks. Cleaning out the car? A walk when I really want a nap?? Laundering the stinky blue socks?
I see the inconvenience. They see the joy.
"Best Day Ever" Joy - about stuff that I see as "Let's just get it done" annoyances. Then on to the next.
But, not them.
No.
BEST DAY EVER!
And, so earlier this week, as I watched my baby girl enjoy her very first Cheerios, spilling them all over the floor and turning them to squishable mush - a rite of passage for a baby through the door of AWESOMENESS that is finger foods - I thought to myself:
I know what she's thinking. She can't talk, but I know what she'd say if she could:
Mom, this is the BEST DAY EVER!
And, I smiled. Because yes.
It is.
You know I have to agree for more reasons than one. She's priceless and eating Cheerios, a small task, but in my eyes...the best day ever for your girl! A real blessing we take for granted and she makes me smile knowing she CAN and she IS! I know you are relishing, just a bit more than ever, the small stuff and the big stuff in her life. She's perfect and I'm so thankful for each "best day ever" she brings to your life. Love you my friend.
ReplyDeleteMeans the world to me, friend. Love you!
Deletebeautiful Sarah. Oh you have such a gift with words. and pictures. and I agree with Ginger, I love the way your relishing each day with her. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, friend. I learn a lot about that from watching you! Can't wait for our girls' dinner comin' up!! :):)
DeleteBeautiful post. Thank you! Those cheeks are just the best!
ReplyDeleteNothing like baby cheeks, huh? Thanks, Christine!
DeleteHAHAHA this post made me laugh out loud several time - and right from the start with her precious face and Cheerio goatee :) Such truth...makes me wonder what my days would look like if I took the time to find joy in the smallest things, like children so easily do!
ReplyDeleteSarah - Cheerio goatee. YES!! Glad we got to chat via email today! :)
DeleteI love everything you write. Humor with a kick-in-the-pants all in one neat little baby-girl-sweetness-with-Cheerios-on-her-face package. Love you.
ReplyDeleteLove you! Was looking through old photos yesterday. Oh, help. Our HAIR!!!
DeleteI love your heart towards your family. Not to mention that little girl is just precious! (So are your boys) Keep writing, as a mother of 8 myself... I find your blog refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tricia! Eight! You're sure blessed!
DeleteI recently started reading your blog and I love how you capture family life. It is perfect and this post is absolutely accurate! Great job - Mom of 3 (8, 6, 4)
ReplyDeleteI love it when my kids say this, and I try to capture it in my mind--except when they're referring to the hotdogs I just made for dinner. I think God likes it when we stop and say it to Him, too.
ReplyDeleteJeri - YES! I think He does! Such a good point!
DeleteI recently discovered your blog and just LOVE it. It's such a good reminder of all that is good, true, and right in the world. It's great to see people who still believe in the holiness of the family unit and the acknowledgement of God in the everyday. Thanks for this cute post and thank you for your wonderful writing.
ReplyDeleteDon't you know Our Father God loves it when we think all the little things He does for us daily, and even hourly, are "Best's"!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSusan - Absolutely!!
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