moments – Consider the Birds…

It is a windy, very white, very cold, snow day here in my little corner. It is so icky outside that my husband, who will drive in anything, just called me and told me he is turning around to come home! It must be pretty bad out there for him to call it and head back. But, hooray for the rest of us! We are going to be snowed in together! It’s my favorite place to be ♥

I was looking around the house in an effort to decided how to decorate for the holidays. I know, I know what about Thanksgiving?!! The recent snowVember has made it so I just can’t put it off any longer; I am powerless….really, I am. In looking around, I can’t help but notice the pictures I have out. Family pictures of us last Fall. Pictures at the beach. A few cute ones my little photog, Olivia, took (she has great perspective), and a few of vacations past.

We have a picture of all of us in front of Cinderella’s castle in Disneyworld. It’s a picture I love so much! It was our first visit. It was soooo hot, but we managed to get along and smile. It turned out perfect! I remember thinking how I wished I could freeze time. Just live in this moment. The kids frozen at these ages and us not having to deal with what was coming next; just stay in Disneyworld!

Honestly, there are more than a few times that I look back and remember feeling like I wish I could freeze time. This time at Disney, Christmas a couple of years ago when everyone still believed in Santa, last summer when we hiked in the Smoky Mountains and then came back to the cabin and watched movies together, and just this morning when we were eating breakfast together talking about how much we love snow days! All of these moments, and a million more, make me want to put time in a stand still. Slow everything down and keep it all comfy and warm. Avoid the storms.

Of course, as I write this I have a sobbing eleven year old because I sent her to her room; long story. I have a throbbing headache that WILL NOT GO AWAY not matter what I do; stupid weather. The ten year old photographer won’t leave her older brother alone; more yelling and crying. Right now I really don’t want time to stand still. I would prefer a fast forward button…..growing pains right?!

Back to my point….

I can’t help but feel that pictures capture moments that our hearts would never forget anyway. And each moment, each picture has brought us to the places we are in now. Each one tells a story about how we made it, how we trusted, and how we have grown.

I will choose happy this windy, snowy day because I wouldn’t have gotten to this morning without the storm that came through last night. And I won’t make it through this first of many snow days without remembering our picture in front of the castle!

I may not be able to avoid the storms but I have the heart of One who keeps me wrapped safe and sound so that pictures in front of the castle and moments around my breakfast table are all the more sweeter; all the more reason to give thanks♥

This morning….

The trees were covered in bright, sunny yellow and rich, fiery red leaves. The sun was just starting to shine through the birch trees in my backyard. The rain isn’t a full on steady downpour yet, it’s just a mist. The kind that doesn’t fall from the sky, instead it just kind of hovers over the yard and in the trees. A breeze blows through, not a burst, or a strong push of air, but a light and gentle almost whisper of a wind. And with just that little push, those beautifully colored, bright, and sunny leaves leap from the trees and seem to float, almost stand still in mid-air, before they fall to the ground and decorate the wet, green grass below.

It was like I was standing in the middle of a work of art. I was surrounded by quiet beauty, and the world seemed still.

I was still.

That paints quite the picture of peace and serenity. However, I am only showing you what was in front of me. I haven’t let you see what’s going on behind me. Those words up there are hiding the background. The background is a completely different scene…..

The dog is somewhere out in the woods (which is why I was outside on the deck), the kids want breakfast, and bags need to be packed for the school day ahead. The bus is almost here and no one has brushed their teeth. Oh, and the bagels are burning in the toaster; what a delightful smell!

Now, it’s like I am standing in the middle of a loud and chaotic mess. I am surrounded by what could be called the exact opposite of quiet beauty.

For a moment,

again;

I am still.

And in this moment, this crazy, messy, hurried moment, I can’t help but be grateful.

I am grateful for all that this new season holds and all that the previous one brought to us. I am thankful for busy schedules because they help me appreciate quiet moments. I want to be still for just a little longer because these chaotic mornings will be over before I know it. Pretty soon the falling leaves will turn to snowflakes, and Thanksgiving will be Christmas, and then another year will be starting. I am grateful for THIS moment. This beautiful, chaotic, we are going to miss the bus, hurry up and put your shoes on moment.

I will choose happy this week because sometimes the loud, chaotic background is beautiful too.

Tag: moments

Pictures

Be Still