Delight in the Little Things

One of my daughters and  her husband of three weeks , are celebrating their marriage with a huge wedding reception for two hundred people tomorrow. Mara has planned every detail from the match covers to the large buffet. Most of all, she has poured her creative spirit into making all the decorations by hand with sisters and friends. From green wheat grass in planters, tissue paper flowers in greens and plum to spray painted hydrangeas in purple, sliver, black and lime green. She is creative and can make the most from the least. Everything is gorgeous and perfect in every tiny detail.

Children are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things like a tiny ant carrying a big leaf, a beautiful flower, the feel of waves on their ankles or the warble of a bird. Mara retains an appreciation for detail and she remembers the little things.

Her godmother, Martha, once asked her, when she was about six what she liked most about Christmas. Mara replied immediately, "The Pineapple."

Martha was astounded. My adult children were remembering their childhood and Mara said, 

" I always remember the fresh smell of clean sheets every week."

Such a small thing, yet a child, with a heart full of gratitude, takes great pleasure from it.

Another time Mara was recounting how pleased she was with a plant in her garden. Realizing that she was enjoying such a small thing she laughed,

"Oh my god, I am sounding just like Mum

The ability to take delight in the plethora of tiny details all around me was encouraged by years of  living with tiny children. I am the type of person who notices and remembers details. These stories for example pour effortlessly from my heart and mind. Repeating a conversation, verbatim, just comes naturally because the details remain vivid in my memory.

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 Also the things that raise my spirits are usually small and most people would not consider them significant. For example, one Christmas I was very tired and only one gift sparked joy, real euphoria. It was hand crotched dish clothes from my friend Cathy. ..dish clothes, beautifully made, colourful, something I used a hundred times a day.

Perhaps this is one of the blessings of a large family; the ability to retain the child's sense of awe and to delight in and to remember the little things.