Focusing on the Big things

My daughter, F, soon to be 3 years old, is a photographer.  She sneaks mama’s camera and takes pictures of her surroundings all day long.  Some are blurry and out of focus, and some are just spectacular.  I honestly love looking through the camera at the end of the day to find a few new pictures that she took.  Her perspective of our home is so sweet to me.  She captures things I’m proud of (kid art on the walls, baby’s first steps, me reading aloud, sisters playing “tea”) and things I’m not so proud of (dust bunnies under the bed, messy refrigerator, mama on the computer -eek!- and the TV on during the day).  Like it or not, her pictures are something special – they are her honest perspective of the world.  Through her lens, I can see what childhood looks like to her.

This midweek, I’m taking a page out of her book and focusing my lens on the Big things in life…you know, the things that really matter.  Things like building a snow fort in the back yard, cheering on the wobbling steps of little J, waiting anxiously for Daddy to get home.  I’m honing in on the blue light of dusk casting shadows over the snow, streetlights making the world sparkle and the warmth of snuggling under fleece blankets between siblings.  I want to revel in the clambering of little people into bed with Mom and Dad at the start of a long, lovely day of nothing much planned.  I’m loving the clattering of dishes during dinner, voices singing silly songs altogether and the love the weaves us all together in this crazy amazing impossible thing called FAMILY.   I’m enjoying this rich tapestry of a life, where learning and loving, working and playing  all connect together.

D on the snow mountain

B showing the girls how its done

I’m walking! J as observed by F

F building the great snow wall

And here I am, singing along while J rat a tat tats his pot and pan drums and I’m left wondering if it really does all come down to the velvety flour dusting the floor and my cheek while D cuts out the biscuits and together we push them in a warm oven.  This is what happiness is.  I’ve arrived.

Who needs Carnegie Hall?  We had our own concert here.

Leave it to them to teach me so much about what really matters.

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Enjoy those kids, if you have some, and if you don’t, try and look at life through the lens of a child.  You’ll be glad you did.

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Nothing really new to report on for WIP Wednesday…just plugging away at the same old projects, and starting to get a bit bored!  I’m working mostly on my Anna Maria quilt though…and I’m thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to embroider the fruits of the Spirit in some of the squares?  You know, just in case we need reminding….

Have a lovely Midweek!