The Unseen Joys

If I have learned anything during the last almost 18 months (and trust me. I sure have!) it is to take the time to celebrate every accomplishment. To take pleasure in the smallest thing. To allow my heart those moments of pure joy to rise to the surface and pop out of me like the soap bubbles my Liddy takes so much pleasure in. 

Its sometimes a little strange to look at my life today and realize how very different it all was just a year ago. How far we have all come, despite the major obstacles life has thrown in our path. A year ago, we were still adjusting to this new twist in the plot. We were facing open heart surgery. I was on hiatus from school to care for this little bundle of pure happiness we call Liddy. I often wondered, as did I'm sure many other people, if I would ever make it back to school at all.

Here we are. Miraculously changed. Blissfully happy. 

The last year has stretched me well beyond my comfort zone. I have accomplished things (and watched my daughter accomplish things) that I never would have believed possible. I have learned how strong I am and how determined I can be....and I sure have one tiny girl to thank for showing me what grit and determination really look like.

 

Can't isn't an option. Its only a matter of digging deep and figuring out how.

The fall semester before Liddy was born shook my confidence. It brought me to my knees more than once. It found me failing for the first time...and being forced to give up (albeit temporarily). It brought a detour in my carefully laid plans. But not an end to the dream........just a new chapter.

Those failures, while difficult to swallow at the time, taught me humility. They taught me acceptance and brought with them a whole new path....a whole new way of life. One with plenty of time to stop and smell the roses...to bask in the sunshine...to soak up the laughter. One with tiny arms around my neck and slobbery kisses gracing my cheeks. One where anything new is worthy of the highest form of celebration.

I've always been chronically impatient. In a hurry to move on to the next big thing. In the midst of the rat race, as well as a player of the comparison game. Liddy has taught me that none of that is important. Its not necessary to be the fastest, the smartest, or the most accomplished. Its enough to just be yourself and relish where you are at any given moment....because the journey itself is infinitely more important than the destination. 

While we may be taking the scenic route, I find that I actually prefer it to the interstate. There is more beauty to be found on the quiet back roads which wander through...eventually arriving at the same place we were headed all along. And while the scenic route may not be quite as quick, it gives us all more time to enjoy being together. And I love that. 

There are a million unseen joys within my heart every single time I look at Liddy's tiny face. While some may be unable to see or appreciate the nuances of a life different than the one we had planned, I understand that sometimes the very best things in life...the most amazing, life changing, beautiful things...can never be planned for at all.