One of the things I love about motherhood is how Lilly has taught me to be grateful for the little things that I used to take for granted. She gets excited about the TINIEST little details. She’s SO observant. She takes in every single thing around her and she calls it by name and she loves it and celebrates it.

If she sees a frog, a rabbit, a butterfly, a flower, the moon, Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse, heck… even a ROCK… she screams it’s name and has the biggest smile on her face and her entire day is made. Within a second.

It got me thinking… how often do WE pay attention to our own surroundings? How often do we see the little details? The beautiful, beautiful details. Probably not all that often, I’d venture to guess….

Last weekend my family and I went up to Connecticut to visit other family. One night we headed out for ice cream and to go ride a little merry-go-round that they have in town. Lilly had never been on one before and so we got her and my nephew, Kyle, some tickets to ride it. 

Immediately, Lilly was filled with so much joy. Riding the horse, or the giraffe, or the frog (her personal favorite) brought her SO MUCH happiness. At the end of every ride she’d exclaim, “AGAIN!” Nothing else mattered. In that moment, it was pure joy for her.

Yes, I realize she’s a toddler and that’s how toddlers work… but, I just kept thinking about Matthew 18:3-5:

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

I just don’t ever want to take the little things and the little experiences in life for granted. I love that Lilly keeps me grounded, humble, and joyful.

I’m so thankful for that merry-go-round and I’m so thankful for this precious little girl for reminding me of what it really means to live.