What Makes Me Smile

I think any stay-at-home mom would probably say that there are times in the day that life seems incredibly monotonous, and sometimes that monotony can feel very overwhelming. Even though we know, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that our lives have meaning and purpose, I think it's easy to lose track of the big picture in the small, day-to-day struggles. The repetition of tasks that seem meaningless or pointless (we have to have clean clothes, so laundry must be done....and we do the same load, over and over and over), the repetition of the same commands or reminders to children...all of these small things add up, at times, to a mountain of discouragement.

But even though the giant of discouragement looms, we still press on.

We still keep our homes clean, because we should. We still cook, because we should. We still train children, because we must. At all costs, we must.

Adding beauty, however, is not a must. It's not a requirement to life and breath and being.

But in the middle of my everyday, I can look over to the small table between my couch and chair, and see something lovely. Something unnecessary.

And it makes me smile.