The dandelions in my life

Jake gave me a flower today for the first time. It was a dandelion. When he saw it, he ran into the middle of the yard and excitedly picked up just the head. "Look at this flower!" he exclaimed, "It's so beautiful!" Then he instructed me to smell it and, in so doing, also appreciate it's beauty. Then he sweetly handed it to me and said, "Here you go, mommy." It made my little heart melt. What was once an ugly weed that marred an otherwise perfectly green lawn suddenly became a beautiful flower that was worthy of appreciation. It will always be remembered as the first "flower" given to me by my child.

I'm not going to wax too philosophical on you, but this experience did make me stop and think about the "dandelions" in my life. I thought about things that at first glance may be weeds, but if looked at from another angle are actually beautiful flowers. I thought about the lack of sleep that I've been getting thanks to Eli's frequent night wakings. I've been pretty tired lately, and have been looking at this as a "weed." But if looked at another way, it is a beautiful flower in my life. Even though Eli wakes me up, I love that I am able to nurse him and have that time to hold my baby without any other distractions.

I also thought about how sometimes I get frustrated that I don't get to see Joseph very often between school, his job that makes him leave before I wake up, plasma donations (his other job) and did I mention school? Sometimes this "weed" can be pretty frustrating. But I'm so grateful for his willingness to work hard for our family. I wouldn't have it any other way. This "weed" in my life is actually a beautiful flower in that I have a husband who is a hard worker and does all he can to help our family.

So, in short, I guess you could say I've stopped and smelled the dandelions. (Ok, I guess I did wax a little philosophical on you.)