Joy / by Kate Brightbill

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I can't quite describe how much this smile meant to me today. 

Some days it's just hard to get out of a funk. I woke on the wrong side of the bed; we overdid the weekend (!) and I couldn't shake it... I snapped unnecessarily and was cranky and testy all day. I felt terrible. 

...but this little girl and her beautiful smile turned things around for me.

When her daddy asked her if she had a good day, she said emphatically "yes!" She went on to tell him all the things she did that were great. She didn't even tell him that I wasn't sweet or that I didn't finish helping her spell all her friends' names on the card she was making. She told him they read books, and that they played with their toys and had lunch on the deck. She told him she rode her scooter and wore her new favorite shoes. She told him all the good and none of the bad.

I love children. I love their ability to see the brightness. I love their ability to forget where their mama failed them. I love their ability to hug me and say "mama I love you" when they see I have tears. They'll lean down to kiss any owie. They'll unabashedly tell people that they love them and that they are making them happy in the moment that they are happy. They are fully present in their moments. They see the glass so full, and their joy is contagious. 

Today these girls of mine blew me away. They took a cranky mama and had me laughing until my sides hurt this evening. 

So.so.grateful.