There's gold to be seen this holiday week, friends.
Just a few days ago, around 1pm when the sun was high and tarrying....the blondes and I were out back.
There were pine needles all over the porch that needed sweeping, and balls bounced about all over the grass, and piping pitched around by the boys.
It needed a tidying.
As I was straightening up and doing my duty with the broom, the oldest said....
"Mama! This looks like gold!....Come here!"
Honestly....I didn't want to stop my cleaning. I wanted to check it off the list and be done with it.
But thankfully, instead of following my bent....
I made a few more brushes with the sweeper, and headed over to where he was standing.
He positioned my body in the direction of a large potted tree, and said....
"Look!"
When I turned my head and really opened my eyes....I saw a tree all lit up at the top by an Autumn sun.
It looked like it had been painted with strokes of gold.....each leaf a blazing shimmer.
Gorgeous!
I grabbed his growing shoulders, and squeezed him tight, and told him that yes indeed....
it did look like gold.
And then I thanked that first blonde of mine...
...for making his Mommy really see, behold, notice.
Ah. What a lesson for this season.
With turkeys, and décor, and cards, and gifts, and company-cleaning, and parties, and events, and end-of-year work hustles....there's much to distract us from wander.
But let's try to anchor down, and do all that well..... while still awakening to the shining, sweet, golden moments that will be scattered throughout our days here.
The kids will remember our soft glances, and our fitting responses, and our pats, and loves, and listening, much more than what is placed on the table, or swept into corners, or placed around a tree, or bonused into your checking account.
And they'll certainly remember the moments you stopped your chore, or your work, or your long conversation, or your racing.... to enter into a moment of really seeing, and really taking in.
Lord, help us to really breathe and behold this time of year, and always.
I pray your Thanksgiving is rich with love, heavy on grace, pardoning of family woes, and really, really blessed.
Big grateful hugs and embraces.....to you all.
