Thursday, November 25, 2010

Simple Gratitude

My boys

Last night we drove many, many miles to attend a Christmas in the Park celebration.  The flyer said there would be a fireworks show and then the park would open, where we would have the opportunity to drive around the lake and look at the hundreds of light displays.  I was excited for it all day.  We put on our jammies, piled in the car and turned on the Christmas music.  

And we drove and drove and drove...

We got a little lost.  We arrived a little late.  We saw the end of the fireworks show from the shoulder of a busy road.  And the only light displays we saw after that were the hundreds of tail and headlights from all the traffic!  We never did find the display of lights at the lake and when we finally asked a cop, he said something about it being over and shooed us to keep driving. 

The night was a total bust!  We drove for two hours, pulled over to nurse 2 times, got frustrated about the directions and my head started to hurt.  I was disappointed for my family as I was anticipating this event all afternoon.  I had been building it up for Kestan, too..."We are going to see fireworks tonight and tons of Christmas lights around a lake!"  

As we drove away, Kestan said, "Where are the lights by the lake?"  And just as I was getting ready to explain to him that we couldn't find (or just completely missed) the event, he exclaimed, "Oh, there are some Christmas lights!"  He noticed a farm house on the side of the road that had, to our luck, decked out their house like the Griswolds.  And he was happy.

We pulled over for the third time so I could nurse Ashton, and Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song came on the radio.  Kestan laughed and laughed.  And so did we.  

And in that moment I remembered...it's the simplest things that bring such great joy to our lives.  It's finding gratitude in every moment that makes life so very special.

We didn't need to drive hours for some grand light production to kick off our holiday weekend.  We simply needed the time and space to be together.

And it's moments like these that I'm most grateful for today.

Your Personal Reflection:  On this day of giving thanks, what are you most thankful for in THIS moment?

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5 comments:

  1. I am madly in love with my husband and children. They are all healthy, happy and beautiful. My oldest is 16 so I don't take a single day for granted as I know the time until he's off to college will fly by. I am thankful for every day we are together in our wonderful, warm home full of love and creativity. Today we will invite extended family over to share in our thanks.

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  2. beautifully written! what a shining truth to take with you into the holiday season!

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  3. You're so right, again ;-)
    I really wish I keep find bliss in small, everyday things...
    Actually, I wish I keep find bliss inside me and in people I love... It's the only place unlimited! And I'm grateful for that!

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  4. In this very moment, I am most grateful for the opportunity to just 'be'. I'm on a train right now, taking it all in and enjoying quiet moments. You can read more on my blog post :-)

    http://angeladigiovanni.com/2010/11/26/the-knitter/views-from-the-train/

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  5. love reading about your special memories.

    PS i responded to your comment RE the 'reduce clutter; create space' wrap up, via email.

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Thanks for sharing!