{ pretty, happy, funny, real }

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday at Like Mother, Like Daughter

 

{pretty}

 

 

My sweet husband came home early from work the other day on account of rain so he was able to join in on the Valentine making frenzy. The littles and I were haphazardly water coloring our little pieces of paper, he tried that for a bit but couldn't contain the wellspring of inspiration. Any bit of artistic expression opens the flood gates within him and allows him to address his inner peace that feels oppressed from the outside. He's calm, quiet, reverent.  He has this unabashed love and ease of painting; grace, beauty, freedom, dreams, they all come through all of his paintings. He will chuckle when he sees this and say it's not his best work nor did he truly put in any effort......but what I see is his dream of peace and balance.....I see his inner beauty. 

 

{happy}

 

 

This piano is one of the great loves of my life. It was a find on Freecycle and I couldn't have been more shocked when it was offered to me! I've played the piano since I was 5 years old, albeit not as well or as much as you might think. It takes me forever to learn a new piece and when I'm allowed a moment to play (like the one in the photo, which was the first time I sat down to play in over 2 years!) I'll play the same song from my memory. It's soothing, it's contentment, it's pure joy. When I sit down to play I silently thank my Mother for pushing me to play all those years I wanted to give it up.

 

{funny}

 

 

KiKi is funny. There are no two bones about it. She cracks us up at every turn with her goofy smiles, silly antics, and her ability to just be amazingly joyful, gleeful....with much zeal. Since she was a baby the snow NOT something that brought her any joy, to say the very least. She absolutely detested walking in it, feeling it, and sledding in it. She did get rather excited to see it from the inside of the house, however, and watching it falling from a window inside is a bit more romantic, no? Well, this past week we  got a little over a foot of snow and she was bound and determined to get out there and play in it, like she is every year until she realizes how much she dislikes it. Well, to our surprise, as I stood closely by waiting for her to run back into my arms to carry her inside, she instead began laughing and shrieking and whooping and cheering for all the snow and how much FUN the snow was. She jumped right in and planted her face in a big pile of snow and ate it up and rolled in it and buried herself in it. Her daddy and I laughed and laughed.....our little bird. She's just so darn funny!!

 

{real}

 

I think this quote about says it all. It is very real and I'm working hard everyday to follow suit. I've had a bit of a sharp tongue lately.......I worry that my children will remember this time and only see how grumpy Mom had been. I know that's not usually the case, but I worry nonetheless. I'd much rather have more beautiful silence than all the arguing and sleep deprivation induced snarkiness.....this is the mantra I hold close to my heart right now.  This powerful little reminder brings me much contentment right now, as well as those around me :)