Faithful Friday / Count Your Blessings - Week 6

This week the blessing I am giving thanks for living in the moment and delighting in life's little details.

Last night I took my eldest son on a shopping trip. He will be starting middle school in a few weeks and is getting his own room. He will be on a slightly later schedule than his brothers so my husband decided to shuffle boys, furniture and rooms. Because of the new arrangement, my 6th grader had to give up his bed, comforter & sheets to his youngest brother.

Most kids would be thrilled to have a chance for new bedding. He was not. Funny thing is, his beloved bed set was over 25 years old! The bedding came from my parents' house. Old, yet comfortable.

At first, my son was inconsolable when told he needed to replace his bedding. Last night he agreed to come shopping with me. Just the two of us. Some quality mom and son time. It was an enjoyable outing.


Thirty Minute Vacation
We went to a nearby shopping center and after finding a new comforter set at Bed, Bath and Beyond we ventured over to the upscale portion, Easton Town Center, and stopped for dinner at Cosi. We dined outdoors and pretended we were in Los Angeles, California on vacation.

The weather was perfect, sunny, warm and breezy. As we sat among the upscale shops on the shaded patio, we watched the stream of pedestrians who passed by. This center has an international draw and in a short time many nationalities passed by speaking a variety of languages. People in all shapes and sizes. Some well dressed, others not so much. Some carried shopping bags from the surrounding chain stores. There was a faint whiff of cigar smoke in the air.

We could have been dining alfresco in any number of cities. I tried to take note of every minute detail and burn a picture in my memory. Quality, one on one time with my son is infrequent, if not rare. Something to reflect on during more trying times, where I for a brief moment want to strangle him!

Living in the moment is not one of my strong suites.
I tend to be a multi-tasker, taking on many tasks at once, yet not accomplishing as much as I should be able to. Many times my mind is so cluttered, I will go from point A to point B and not remember the journey in-between. On these days, you don't want to be on the road with me!

Lately, I have been trying to slow down and pay more attention to the little details that I often overlook. I am rewarded with reminders of life's little blessings.

Even the smallest detail can have great significance.

Tonight I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. 15,000 Chinese performers took part in this ceremony of epic proportions. The attention to detail was incredible. Hand gestures, costumes, color and graphics. Nothing was over-looked. So much beauty and symbolism. There was one portion where a single dancer was performing on a platform that was supported by hundreds of participants beneath her. This was to illustrate the point that "The accomplishments of one are made possible with the help of many."

Some of the many blessings this past week:

• Friday night of this past weekend we had friends from Florida come visit and my husband hosted a dinner at our house in their honor.

• He bought too much food and on Sunday night, we entertained another set of friends and their 10 year old son.
• After coming home from a successful shopping trip on Thursday night, I found out I won a contest at Dishing with Debbie for a comment I made several days ago. Ironically enough it was about saving money at Macy's and I had just come home with more "savings" from Macy's!
• In addition to finding a comforter set for my son, I "found" a cute Jones New York summer dress and a cute knit top on clearance sale! Once again I "saved" my husband tons of money!
  

In conclusion ( finally!)
As I make a concerted effort to slow down and savor life's little moments, I am reminded of one of my husband's favorite quotes.

Slow and Steady wins the race.