Little Things

Reese (with arms wrapped around my torso in an endless super hug): "Mom, Mrs. Pledger read a book about um "Did You Fill A Bucket Today?" and she said that everyone has an invisible bucket that they carry around. If you say something nice to someone else, or give them a hug or something, it fills up their bucket and makes them happy. AND, guess what? She said doing nice things fills your own bucket, too! Is that real? It sounds good."

Oh, how I love her.
I'm grateful for the innocence of children. I am especially grateful that before snuggling up in my lap for a hug or kiss, my children never stop for a moment to assess what kind of mother I was that day, or whether I am deserving of their affection. They don't care what kind of mother I was. They just fold their little bodies into my arms and share all the love they have in their hearts with me, because to them, I am always good enough. I need their example of unbiased, unconditional, and totally boundless love to keep my cynical, skeptical, and often crazy and irrational side at bay.
I am so lucky to have my family.

Here are a few recent "little things" from my 30 days of appreciation for Aaron:
-cleaned the garage. This was no small task. It isn't finished, but a significant dent was made.
-hauled the trash to the curb.
-dinner "warming on the stove" (1950's housewife style) and ready to be eaten right when he walks in the door and says, "Lucy, I'm home!", every night this week.
-put the mattress warmer on the bed and turned his side of the bed to "warm" 20 minutes before he went to bed, so the sheets weren't cold.

This week's intentional acts of kindness have resulted in more peace in our home. Whether we recognize the process or not, gratitude generally follows the rules of reciprocity. It is amazing how intentionally expressing love for one person---even in the simplest way, like a pair of new socks or a little handwritten note, can result in buckets so full they spill over the brim to everyone in the family.

Yes, Reese, invisible buckets are real.

Thanks for filling mine today, Dolly.