Small and Simple Things

In college I had a professor who always said that in his opinion, the flowers that grow in the cracks of the sidewalk are far more beautiful than those purchased in large, perfect bouquets from expensive florists. His mantra at the close of every lecture was, "Little things count." That was over 15 years ago, and I have to say that the older I get, the more I agree.
There is something about a tiny flower having the stamina to bloom despite the odds that inspires me. It makes me grateful for all the small and simple beauties I have in my life that are so easy to overlook in my rush to get from here to there.

Call me cheesey, but here are just a few of the "little things" that have made my life beautiful this week:
1. A beautiful daughter who gleefully plucked the first tiny blossom out of my flower bed (admittedly to my chagrin), put it in a tiny vase and watered it by herself, only to hand it to me and say, "Mommy, I know you love flowers, so I brought you the first sign of spring to make you smile and think about how much I love you."


2. Blue Pilot "VBall Extra Fine" pens. It may sound corny, but these are my favorite pens, and they must have been discontinued or something because I can't find them anywhere. But on Monday I cleaned out my desk and found one! Yippee!


3. Friends who feed me and aren't afraid to tell me that my eyebrows need help.


4. An awesome mom who never stops thinking of ways to make everyone around her happy.


5. A little boy who told me tonight that he wants to be a pirate when he "gets big". (Quickly followed by an explanation that even grown -up pirates suck their thumbs and play with their hair when they're sleepy.)


6. A husband who looks for ways to lighten my load every day: doing laundry, running errands, washing dishes, making dinner, staying home to get the kids ready at least once a week and every Friday so I can leave for school at the crack of dawn and get one step ahead of my students.


7. The feeling of the sun on your face on the first warm day of spring, followed almost immediately by the feel of snowflakes on your cheeks the very next day - only in Utah!


8. A Mother and Sister-in-Law who re-arrange their schedules to stay home with my kids tomorrow (who are sick. Again.)


9. Pussywillows