My toe was collateral damage this morning from the antics of three, overly energetic little boys.
They are always overly energetic, actually. Sun up to sun down. On morning drives they wrestle like puppies in the mini van until the door slides open and they can burst into the freedom of wide open space. And this morning, in the midst of their tagging each other gleefully over and over (once free from the shackles of the car), one stepped on my toe. Full on. And just kept right on going.
Sigh.
It’s really like their hands are magnets intensely attracted to one another. Every time I drive them anywhere, they poke each other’s shoulders and ribs and lock each other in as much of a headlock as five point harnesses will allow. And they talk loudly and over one another with unharnessed excitement, all clamoring to be heard.
And week in particular, it has driven me SO crazy. And I’ve tried to tell them to just stop touching each other but it’s like it makes it even more a necessity.
This morning, I decided to just pause and watch them as we waited in the parking lot. They alternated between hugging each other close and shoving one brother into another. They smiled and squealed and occasionally kissed each other’s heads. So much energy, so much life.
This is a difficult time in our world. So much sadness, frustration, heartache, and adult squabbles back and forth constantly. And this week, I think it was all getting to me a little more than before.
So, I stopped this morning and drank in the love of three brothers holding tightly to the time they had until they parted three ways to school. In all the noise and chaos and my painful foot stepped on in the process… I found joy.
I like this quote by Mr. Rogers today as I think about how I can pause more and recognize joy – “In the external scheme of things, shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of — moments when we human beings can say “I love you,” “I’m proud of you,” “I forgive you,” “I’m grateful for you.” That’s what eternity is made of: invisible imperishable good stuff.”
How can you pause and notice the invisible imperishable good stuff today?
How can you be a shining moment in another’s life today?
