Monday, April 23, 2018

Little Things that are Making Me Happy Lately

 


   


Sometimes we all get so bogged down with the stresses of everyday living that we forget to just take the time to look around and appreciate the little things in life that bring a smile to our faces.  I was thinking about this very thing this afternoon as I sat on my back porch enjoying the warmth of the sunshine after a very long Winter and cold and wet Spring.  I began to think about what it is that has brought me joy over the past few days and thought I would share it here.

~Clean bed linens drying on the clothesline and the fresh smell they all had when I got them down and folded them later in the day.
~A talk across the fence with my much loved hanai sister Shannon.
~Watching the scrunchy nose look my youngest grandson gave me when I sat him in the grass.  He was not a huge fan of it but it did keep him in one place and not crawling off. 
~Taking flowers from our garden next door to Aunt Norma and seeing the look of delight on her face as our grandson Steven flirted shamelessly with her.  
~Eating some of our meals out on the back porch.
~Patches kitty crawling up onto my chest while I was sitting in the lounge chair outside enjoying the warmth of the sun.
~Seeing the bees fly from dandelion to dandelion collecting the pollen.
~The raspberry patch all pruned and staked up by my amazing hubby.
~Relaxing in the hot tub and talking about just how blessed we are with our kids and grandkids.
~Taking a walk and seeing that Steven feel asleep in the stroller.  He had been fighting taking a nap earlier that day.
~Pictures that our Heather shared online of our oldest grandsons, Bradley and Isaiah, helping to pull nails from fence posts at their property.  They were taking great pride in their work!
~Great news being shared by our son Josh.
~Phone calls from our son Chris.
~Spending time with our Rachel and her blessing me by taking me down to Costco with her.
~Jaysn showing up with cupcakes that Rachel had made.
~Our neighbor's cat, Caspian, coming over to visit Steven and I while we were outside on the lawn.

   None of these things cost us a lot of money.  Even the Costco run was budgeted for but what blessed me most about that trip was spending the time with Rachel and Steven.  Most were even "free".  How many times have we been too busy to slow down and actually watch the dance a bee does when it is pollinating a flower?  It is fascinating!  Do we sit still long enough for a beloved cat to crawl up into our lap or onto our chest and just enjoy stroking it's soft fur?  Are there ways we could spread joy to our elderly neighbors by bringing them flowers or something yummy to eat?  When I feel joy, I want to spread that joy to others.  I want other people to feel the warmth, love and caring that do.  I want them to experience the little joys that are all around us if we slow down and take the time to notice them.  

   My plan is to try to take time each day and soak in those precious moments as they happen.  I want to breath in the fragrance of line dried laundry and freshly baked bread.  I want to soak up the warmth of the sun.  I want to play with all my grandchildren and listen to their laughter and the older two tell me all the wonderful things that are on their minds.  I want to watch the baby as he continues to walk and say new words.  I want to spend more time just enjoying my hubby and surprising him with little treats.  While the world continues to go "crazy" all around us, I want to focus on my home, my family and my friends.  I want this to be a safe haven and one where the little joys in life are experienced and appreciated for the truly wonderful gifts that they are to all of us.  My prayer is that my friends will all join me in doing this and that they too will both find and spread joy in the beauty and love that surrounds us all.

22 comments:

  1. This post brought tears to my eyes, Debbie.
    Your words are so very true.
    I will try harder to do just what you suggested...
    Slow down and savor each moment by appreciating what is right before my eyes.
    Thank you. Thank you!

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    1. Thank you Billie Jo. I do hope those were happy tears. ;) I hope you see the beauty in everything around you and how blessed you are too my friend!

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  2. This has indeed blessed me today! Thank you!

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    1. I'm so glad it did Linda. I hope you have a freat rest of the week!

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  3. It truly is the simple things, isn't it?

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    1. It really is. :) I was blessed to spend part of the day today with our Rachel and baby Steven. I set aside my plans for the day and just enjoyed my time with them. :)

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  4. We all need to take those moments in. The simple things in life bring us the most joy.
    Have a blessed day.

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    1. Yes we do Cheryl. :) I hope you are enjoying your garden, the kitties and the squirrels. :)

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  5. Your writing makes me see all these blessings. I can just picture your youngest grand flirting with your neighbor. And the older boys pulling nails.
    We too have bumble bees flirting between the yellow dandelion flowers.
    From your last post - turns out I overdid it a bit in the garden over the weekend too. Yesterday afternoon I could feel a crash come on. I talked and prayed my through it without any tears, so that was progress. No gardens today, just a quick run to the library to pickup a 'hold' and home again.
    Take good care, SJ

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    1. Hi SJ, I am sorry that you over did it in the garden. I was afraid of that for you. I'm glad you were able to talk and pray your way through it. That is a major win! Much love to you my friend!

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  6. I call those things simple pleasures. We all need to appreciate those more.

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    1. Yes we do. How is your garden coming along? I bought some Lemon Thyme today for mine since the one I had for years finally died.

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  7. This is exactly what I have been pondering this last week. Seems like I spent so much unnecessary time and energy this last year focusing on and worrying about things that I had no control over. It's like all the people in my life went crazy at once. I did sit down and figure out that it has all brought me closer to God, my one brother and my two granddaughters. So there is good in the bad. I am very opinionated about how people should do things and I can see the bad roads they are heading down before they do. I am a watcher of people. But that doesn't mean they don't need to make their own mistakes and find there own way. Thank you for reminding me to notice the beauty and little things in life. Take care.

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    1. You are very wise for seeing that sometimes people need to make their own mistakes and there is nothing we can do to stop them from doing so. I know how hard that it is to do though. ;) I do hope that this year is one of your best yet!

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  8. I think this is your best blog post, yet! Insightful and spot-on!
    Wishing you a peaceful and joy filled day!

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    1. Awwww...thank you! I wish the same for you as well!

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  9. What a wonderful reminder to take time to count our blessings each and every day, Debbie !!

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    1. Thank you Debbie! I hope the snow is all gone on the mountain top. I am so behind on reading friend's blogs again. Be blessed!

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  10. Excellent post! Looking back, I wish I had taken more time to slow down and appreciate the little things in life. But, I was a single mother, working full time outside the house, and part-time care giver to my own mother for the last 6 years of her life. There wasn't enough time in the day to do everything that had to be done! Hopefully, now, with retirement in the not too distant future, I'll be able to slow down and take time to enjoy the little things that bring me joy. :)

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    1. I hope you will Bless and that one day you will be able to spend time with grandchildren building precious memories. Much love to you!

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  11. Great post. When it is nice out and life gets to crazy I love to sit on the hammock and just stop everything.

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