When Kristin was here with her girls two (?) weeks ago, we talked some about happiness. She told me that happiness is like pearls on a string; the pearls are moments of joy linked together by the string of normal (less joyful) life. I like that.
I’ll tell you what my string is: Mealtime. I keep hoping I’ll become a more patient person so that feeding my children does not make me want to weep with frustration, but right now I’m not there. Tonight Mary screamed from the moment I put her into her high chair until I gave her a bottle after her bath (one hour later). She provided a similar soundtrack for her three other meals as well.
BUT. But. That is actually the only string I can think of today. The rest of the day felt like a concentrated series of pearls. E.g., we went to the library and read books on the crunchy leaves outside. (Actually, just one book by my favorite children’s author, Jan Brett. Doesn’t her art just transport you? And the text is pretty darn good, too!)
We spent hours playing on the floor and reading books at home, and I even got over an hour of piano practice in–with Abe out of town! A minor miracle. I’m learning the Chopin nocturne I listened to while giving birth to Lydia, and whenever I hear it I feel overcome with love and emotion. After Mary’s fourth meal, I NEEDED that music in my life.
I also took the girls to the playground. It was chilly and they both have runny noses, but I figured it was sunny out, and we needed sun.
Today was also the first day in a while where Lydia’s iPad usage was under five minutes long. That, for me, is a record. I just decided to see what would happen if I studied my scriptures and tried to take a nap without sticking an iPad in front of Lydia, and guess what? It wasn’t the end of the world. Granted, my study and nap were frequently interrupted because Lydia parked herself and her toys right next to me on the bed, but I loved the interruptions because they frequently ended in cuddles. More pearls!
Speaking of pearls…:
