On a lazy, feet-up Saturday night, as my husband and I flipped through family memories together, my mind settled on an occurrence that frequented our house ten years ago. When my now-big kids were then-little, my good man would walk through the front door after work and ask how my day was. We would talk for a bit as all three littles excitedly vied for their Daddy’s legs and arms. Invariably, between hugging this kid and kissing that one, he’d look at me and ask: “So, what did you and the kids do today?”
Nine times out of ten, I’d just stare at him before looking around the living room decorated in the primary colors of Playskool toys. A room whose furniture held snack remnants and half empty sippy cups tiled sideways. As I looked around, I hoped to find proof I accomplished something, something beyond keeping everyone fed, (possibly) happy and…ya know, alive. But sometimes I was simply at a loss for words. I would shake my head, shrug my shoulders and say the same thing each time, “I have no idea, but I’ll tell you this: I didn’t sit down all day.”
(And all the mamas of little people said amen.)
The truth is I was doing all kinds of things, good and needed things, but in all my blurry movement and activity I couldn’t always find definitive proof this was true. I sometimes wondered: in all these good and needed things, where is the evidence of their importance? Where is the proof that what I do is important?
Some days are still like that, you know. I’m doing, but I can’t necessarily tell you what I’ve done that’s so special. Even on this particular day, I just want to remember to schedule my daughter’s orthodontic appointment and not forget the meeting with the boys’ high school counselor. My day is chock-full of “nothin’ special” kinds of things. Good and needed things, yes, but not flashy things.
But you know what? All the nothin’ special moments, even the letdown and disappointing moments, zigzagging through our days really do hold proof of something needed and beautiful. Something totally, abundantly special. Will you join me here to read more and share your thoughts on life’s “nothin’ special” moments?
