Listen...

I've had a busy past few days. Lots of running around helping the older boys finalize things for college in the fall, and just the daily day-to-day grind. I'm tired... I decided that until tonight when Casey and Kaleigh are going to a party and the rest of us are going to my parents for dinner and wait for the kids to be done, I would not take the van out for a spin. I vowed to stay home, bake a dessert, tidy-up the house, and take twenty minutes off. And I did. I layed in the hammock and read to Cassidy, and then just stayed there. No reading, no needle-work, nothing. As I looked at the beautiful sky, my eyes grew heavy and I shut them. And listened. Have you ever done that? Here's what I heard:
an airplane off in the distance, birds chirping, my kids playing in the sandbox, the chickens clucking, the air blowing through the leaves of the trees, my daughter practicing the piano... Ah... God gives us gifts in small things, and today I found one of them and enjoyed it very much. For the small things in life, I'm truly grateful.