one of those random ones

I was sitting on the swing on my front porch {cause sometimes I do that!} and noticed this spider web between the chains. my first instinct was to swipe it away. but I stopped myself. and I chose to really look at it. it was AMAZING. so beautiful. so intricate. I went from being annoyed to being in awe in less than a second because I chose to REALLY SEE.

i'm learning this in lots of areas of my life. when I read my Bible, I read the same couple verses over and over again. and then again the next day. when i'm with just 1 or 2 of my kids in the car, I turn the music down (just a teeny bit, so they don't notice!) and I keep my mouth shut and my heart open and I listen. they seem to sense that i'm available and they TALK and share and laugh. WE LAUGH. it's lots of little things. nothing big. but i'm convinced that the little things add up to bigger things than the big things will ever be.

for some reason, I thought this season with my kids in school would be less hectic. and there are hours that used to be busy (8 am-2 pm), that are quieter now. but the hours that used to be quiet are hectic (6-10 pm). so, really, I just switched my shifts around. I LOVE my quiet hours. and they surely help me make it through those evening hours of homework and sports and tired kids and discipline issues from whatever happened at school that day (argh!) i'm learning my new limits and boundaries. and I honestly think that the CRAZIEST hour of my day is from 7-8 am. once they all get off to school, I feel like I just finished the biggest test ever! it's AMAZING how much happens in such a short time!

i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that thanksgiving is next week. and then that means CHRISTMAS. each hour I bounce back and forth between finding new crafts I can do to decorate for Christmas, and wanting to do the bare minimum because we have NO extra minutes in our day to add anything...even if it's a fun tradition! if we don't have the time, it won't be fun! we'll see where I land on that.

have you chosen to stop and really look at something lately? what was it? I want to know! if not, try it. and enjoy the awe that follows. happy Wednesday!