November 24, 2009

finding blessings

It will come as no surprise… to me, or anyone else… that real life can bog a Mom down. We give every ounce of our very beings to our to-do lists. Husband. Kids. House. Work. Life. And sometimes it leaves you standing at the open freezer door with nary a dinner idea in sight. Until, of course, you hear your Mom’s voice in your head telling you that you are letting all the cold out and wasting electricity...
It’s been that kind of week. Racing through to the weekend only to discover that the plans I had made have simply worn me out. And now it is Tuesday… and reflecting on the week, I am wondering if there is a moment worthy of unwrapping at all.
It makes me stop… and really think. Past the exhaustion. Past the worry. Past all that makes up my to-do list… and look into my heart. And there… I seem to find all of the blessings, that without Tuesday, might have been left in the field to wither.
Digging around in the bushel of my life, I smile…
At the silly hats Laura tried on at Target… and her exclamation over the one with a real peacock feather.
At the spontaneous outburst of the Scooby Doo song… sung in duet by my son & I.
At the blanket that still has the grass stuck to it… and holds the memory of Eric & I laying out in the backyard at 4am in search of shooting stars.
At my oh-so-close-to-thirteen boy flopping down across my lap and snuggling in.
At the conversation my daughter and I shared over soup & a sandwich.
And at the way he drew me away from the freezer door and took me in his arms.
It is time to harvest these blessings… and hold them close.
They are gifts from above.
From His heart to mine.
And not only worthy, but necessary to unwrap.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sigh. What a beautiful post. These are the perfect moments to unwrap. And what a blessing to look back through the piles of mundane life and sometimes even garbage and find these beautiful shining moments, wrapped up and waiting to be opened and savored. That's what Tuesday is all about.

dawn said...

aaah. You are so right. That is why I love Tuesdays unwrapped--they make me look and realize the blessings all around me. It's a wonderful discipline. I'm thankful for Emily and blogland calling me to it. Your post is awesome today Dawn.

Boy Crazy (@claritychaos) said...

For some reason this post has me bawling. I think maybe I have some stuff going on, but I just want to tell you this is beautiful and real and thank you for it.

-Elizabeth

Kathleen@so much to say, so little time said...

Thanks for the reminder...I've been in one of those overwhelmed stages lately...

imoomie said...

As I read, I plopped down next to you and with tears in my eyes decided to stop for a moment and celebrate all that is priceless.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

everydayMOM said...

awwww.... sweet reflections.

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

This is beautiful and refreshingly honest, Dawn. You have a lovely way with words. May your Thanksgiving be all you hope for.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post.

Being a mom is hard work, but it's also the best job ever.

Busy Bee Suz said...

You are so darn good with words..your thoughts are so truthful and you put that out there. I love it...I love my Dawn!!!!
I think we need to change your name to Busy Dawn...yes, I have given my busyness over to you. I gladly gave it up.

Kari said...

I work with middle schoolers, so I love the picture of your almost a teenager snuggling in. It's funny how much they still want that closeness but don't know whether it's okay. :)

(Thanks for stopping by my blog today!)

Unknown said...

Just the best .

Corinne Cunningham said...

This gave me tingles :) Like you said, it's so very easy to get caught up in it all... thank goodness for our Tuesdays Unwrapped!

Kelli said...

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!! Awesome moments to unwrap!!

Jen said...

Countinued blessings to you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving.

Michelle DeRusha said...

I love the way you really delve into the details and find the real blessings in everyday life. Really beautiful post, Dawn!

Kat said...

And that you sought out and found such moments...beautiful. Really.

Sharon @ Hiking Toward Home said...

:-) like this. I really need to slow down a bit and think more about these in my life.... I haven't posted a Tuesday Unwrapped in so long... because I'm not taking the time to stop and unwrap them... thanks for the reminder.