It's All About the Little Things

Several weeks ago, I was traveling from Ohio back to Indiana.  It was a stunningly beautiful January day when I left Kent, Ohio.  It was one of those "sky is clear blue with tiny strands of white clouds hanging like lace curtains" days.  Exquisite travel day.  It was one of those days when if I had been hiking, I would have noticed details like bugs on leaves, tiny pine cones in the grass, how the sun forms rainbows on leaf dew.  I am sure you've had days like that. 

But I was driving.  Home.  I instead I turned my thoughts inward to family, friends, love and beauty and the timelessness of enjoying NOW.  The winter sun, absent or clouded in winter in NE Ohio shone brightly and warmed the interior of the car, it felt just like summer and oh how good this felt at this moment to have that warmth on my fingers clutching the wheel and on my face.  Soaking up the much need Vitamin D.  Welcoming that light in that moment, opened my heart.

As I was driving, I noticed small birds flying and ugly trash blowing across the road...the contrast of beauty and ugliness, reminders that living in the moment means accepting what we judge as good or bad and dealing with it without judgement because it is just THERE in that moment and like trash blowing across the road or birds flying across one's line of sight it will be gone in the next moment.  For me this brings freedom; freedom to not be burdened by little birds that fly into your life or trash that blows through.

At the end of the day, I was greeted by the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time. It capped off a day where I was thankful for the tiniest thing.  The colors of that sunset blended into the most spectacular colors, pinks, purples, dusty blues and yellows.  It filled my warm heart with such gratefulness.  I felt as if Mother Nature had painted that for me so that I'd remember for a long time that if you let things build up inside, if you spend your moments dwelling on the what ifs and what wills of life you miss the what is right there in front of yous. 

 And it is in these moments, the right now moments where inspiration and gratitude reside.  I love looking at the big picture but also that day was reminded of all the little pieces that build up to make that big picture.  If you walk too fast with your eyes all the way into the future, you miss the building blocks upon which that big picture rests.  

Graduation Day

If you haven't heard me brag about my daughter's graduation from college, well, here I go.  She is the youngest of my 3 children, all who are well endowed with brains.  All have launched themselves into the world and are swimming along just like we all do when we reach a certain age.  Matt, my oldest, is in the Air Force Reserves and flipping houses while raising a family.  He and his lovely wife are whacked....caught in that middle age between..whoo hooo and yikes.  Katie, the woman in the middle, holds 1 of my 4 grand babies hostage in Indiana, goes to school and works ...a full plate which she balances in the air like the true professional she is.  Mary has spent the last 3-ish years at Purdue studying botany and getting Purdue to start a small, organic farming program. 

Purdue just happens to be my Alma Mater also. I bleed black and gold...my dad went there, Mary's father and her Aunt went there, my brother and Matt went there.  Mary stepped into a family tradition of Boiler pride.  Hoosiers have 2 choices..you're either a Boiler or an IU fan...we chose the only Indiana University...:) Its a joke, ok..

I am a proud mama and was thrilled when she passed all her finals and then was accepted to graduate school there too.  We all headed to Purdue over Mother's day weekend to watch her walk.  I expected the trip to be full of memories of my own graduation but did not expect it to be as emotional as it was.

 Seeing her in her gown, walking around campus taking pictures, hearing the bells play the Purdue fight song...all that rushed through me catapulting me back to when I was she, she was me, we were...and my heart burst with the knowledge that she has no idea what her future holds.  Sky's the limit and already she has packed so much into her life.  

And as I watched the big screen TV, finally, I saw her.  She took her graduation certificate and stepped up to her Dean with the biggest smile upon her beautiful face that I had ever seen. Eyes alight, smile broad and ear to ear, she grasped his hand quickly, shook it looking into his eyes and at that moment I knew that she will make a difference. 

She turned and walked to the edge of the stage, paused for a moment looking out into the large auditorium not knowing where we were and pumped both her arms up into the air and said something...I think it was, "WHOOOO HOOOO!"