The little things

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Mood: Enlightened

This afternoon I decided it was well past time to repaint my daughter's toenails. It had been so long since their last coat that only three of them bore even a hint of the fading pink color. I asked her if she'd like me to do them and she lit up immediately. "Yes mommy! What color will we do?" I answered, "I was thinking we should do something for Halloween since it's coming up soon." She thought for a moment and shouted "Jack-o-lanterns!" All I could think was how in the world I'd fit jack-o-lanterns on her tiny four-year-old toes! lol So I answered, "I don't know if mommy could do that, but how about orange with black polk-a-dots?" She reluctantly agreed, and skipped into my bedroom where she began digging out the colors from my basket of polishes. I stood there watching her, and I suddenly realized (again) how blessed I am to have a daughter. Boys and girls are so very different to raise, and each bring such unique joy to your life as you watch them develop their personalities, but I'll save my thoughts about the joys of having a son for another day. Today, I bonded even further than ever before with my precious daughter. We sat down on the floor together (after I turned on a playlist of music that pertains to parenting and the joys of children to set the mood) and we painted our toe nails for Halloween... we talked... we sang... we joked... we laughed... we bonded. Something so simple, yet so memorable. How could I have missed the joy in this before? I've painted her nails so many times before and I always enjoyed doing it, but I guess I'm usually in a hurry, on the phone,  talking to Ryan,  or watching tv... and I've missed out on how special it really is until now. The little things in life... right? :) Today, I'm a little more aware of the little things that can bring so much joy and so much love into a relationship, a family, and life in general. Today, I realized more than ever how very smart, funny, and beautiful my little girl really is... and she's growing up so fast!