Tiny Little Miracles

My husband walked the girl, as we affectionately call her, to school as I had another appointment. After returning home, he told me I needed to make sure and take the boys down the street and around the corner at 10 AM because the construction crews would be pouring concrete at that time. Our neighborhood is getting speed bumps. Joy. I scoffed, “You expect me to remember that?” Honestly, my mind was swirling with to-do lists already by 9am, and adding one more thing to my list didn’t sound that appealing.

I got busy working on my list, and looked up and saw that it was 9:58 am.  I was ahead of my own not-so-absolutely-critical schedule. So, I decided to take the boys around the corner to watch construction guys pour concrete. Not exactly my form of entertainment, but for a 4 year old, and an almost 2 year old little boy? It was magical.

On the way home, we soaked up the weather, picked flowers for mommy, and pointed out bees. We slowed down a bit and enjoyed the morning. As we rounded the corner to our house, I felt the anxious feeling of all the things I had to do creep back in. Grocery store. Laundry. Etc. Etc. Etc. I decided to pick the little guy up right then and there and throw him in the car. As I pulled on the door handle, I was grateful that it was unlocked. A tiny miracle in my day. It may sound silly to some, but that’s how it felt to me.  It meant not having to take him inside to hunt for the keys, and with my hands full of diaper bag, grocery bags, a child, and everything else get back into the car.

I headed out to the grocery store and realized that I had forgotten my list. I took a deep breath and prayed to have enough focus to remember everything I needed, so a return trip wouldn’t be necessary. I did. Another tiny miracle in my day.

We made it home and the boys ate lunch and played for a bit, and I got my littlest one down in time for his nap. And, Kyle was settled for the moment in front of sesame street for his quiet time. Then, a friend called. She had something for me at my front door. She brought me a treat for my birthday (which is in two days). I had jokingly posted this delicious recipe on Facebook after salivating over them on Pinterest, and said, “Will someone make these for me?” My friend Rayna jumped to action and made them for me as an early birthday gift. It made me feel loved and truly blessed to have a friend like that in my life. Another tiny miracle in my day.

After she left, my 4 year old was not entertained by sesame street. He was interrupting me every few minutes for something which then led to a complete throw-yourself-down-on-the-floor tantrum. I was able to put on my vest with an “s” for a moment and be incredibly patient, and lay down with him on my bed. The kitty joined us, and this happened.

 

He didn’t even budge when I took this picture. Another tiny miracle in my day.

The truth is, on any other given day, I could have looked at all of these things much more negatively, or I could have missed them all together. Because, as parents, our lives are full. So full that sometimes we can hardly breathe. So full that we sometimes miss the little blessings that happen in every day miracles. I know I’m guilty of that.

I believe that every single day there are little tiny miracles happening. We just have to be open enough, and in tune enough to see them.

One of our church leaders gave a great talk titled, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord” that talks about just that. How the Lord is there to bless us everyday, but we have to be open to letting Him. We have to recognize these tiny miracles as the tender mercies from Him. I believe that, but I don’t always see it.

So, how do we see it? I don’t have all the answers. But, I know that trying to slow down, and breathe, and sometimes tossing aside the to-do list when a little boy wants to watch cement be poured are probably the key. Even if you think there is no one looking out for YOU, there is. He is.

Some might say things like my door being unlocked are just because I forgot to lock it the night before, or a kid falling asleep is just because he is super tired and I took the time to sing him some lullabies. But, recognizing the Lord’s hand in the every day moments are what brings peace in a world that is struggling to see peace. To me, knowing that Someone Else is looking out for me, and my little world, besides myself, is a comfort all its own.

This doesn’t mean that I am any more special than you. In fact, He loves you just as much as He loves me. It just means that I am choosing to see the tiny miracles with eyes wide open today instead of simply thinking that I am doing this motherhood thing all alone. I’m not. He’s there looking out for me, and today I noticed.