On Striking Gold

Every day holds tiny treasures. I pan for them here in the quiet hours before the stream of day sweeps me in. I realize as I do how impossible it is to seize this day while worrying about the next one. I realize too, how many treasured moments I squander by turning my back on today to tug at the loose ends of tomorrow.

What surprises me most is how there are still so many gems to turn over in my palms, even on the days I paid little attention to the sparkling stream underfoot.

So I share here, more for myself than anyone else, a few of the moments still shining in my hands.

1. Dani called her favorite blanket a "b'ankey" for nearly two years. But this week, she added an "L" to her repertoire, and threw it in twice for good measure, turning b'ankey into blankley. When she wakes up, she calls for me (at the top of her lungs) and reaches out with both arms when I come. She can get down from her bed by herself. She knows that. I know that. But she waits for me to come, to carry her and her blankley downstairs to start the day.

2. Yesterday we met some friends for a hike. We traveled down the path toward a river and stopped to wade just after the waterfall. Our friends brought water soakers, and we splashed an entire afternoon away. "It's even better than a playground," Caed told me later. Yes it is. Way better.

3. The kids brought seedlings from school over a month ago, and we decided to give them a special place at the "old house" rather than taking them with us and risk losing them altogether. (There is a metaphor here, I'm sure.) Anyway, we planted them this week, and the kids were so proud. Then we ran through the sprinklers and ate popsicles.

I keep coming back to these simplest of joys. Maybe they wouldn't appraise for much in the hands of another. But in my hands, they outshine the worry. In my hands, they make me infinitely rich.

What treasures are you turning over in your hands today?

Linking up with Maegan today for this Bigger Picture Moment.