Sweet Simple Things

“It is the sweet simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”—Laura Ingalls Wilder

Yesterday, I read of a fellow blogger’s death after a long battle with cancer.

I had never read her  blog before, but as I perused what she had left behind, I was touched by her radiant smile, beautiful photography, courageous spirit, and deep love for her family.

She wrote about the immense joy she found in doing the “normal” things that cancer treatment had made impossible: taking a trip to the mall in search of the perfect prom dress for her daughter, making lunch and dinner,  seeing her kids off to school in the morning, doing everyday chores, etc. These simple, day-to-day things that can be a source of complaint for us at times were instead a rich source of  delight and satisfaction for her.

This lady knew well what Ann Voskamp has written: “Everything is a staggering gift.”

I try to remember that every single day.

There is joy to be found everywhere, if we only have eyes to see.

My prayer for today is that God will open my eyes to the fact that my life is bursting with gifts from above…that He will enable me to stay intensely focused on the present moment…that I will treat this day as if it is my last…so that when I go to bed this evening, there will be no regrets, no moments left un-lived or unobserved, no kind or encouraging word unspoken.

Please pray for Sarah’s husband and two daughters as they begin this new and difficult journey without her.

Hug your loved ones tight today  Treasure your moments. And celebrate the sweet simple things.