My grandmother has been in the hospital recently, and truly, I am understanding how every day and every phone call and every visit with her is a gift. When she made it home from her most recent stay, we spent the morning together and decided, since it was my niece Caroline’s 11th birthday, we would give Caroline a face time call. I wish I could have captured my grandmother’s excitement when I mentioned this idea. She was delighted! I brought along some party hats from my Lisa friend, and we wore them to join in the face-time party across the miles. Although we had used the hats before to celebrate a good time, these hats brought such a beautiful smile to my dear grandmother’s face. It’s the little things that bless my heart. I left them on her dining room table, hoping that the sight of them would bring a smile back to her face, and heart.
As I think back about how my mother cultivated a sense of celebration in our family traditions, I realize that as I look back on celebrations of good times that I’ve enjoyed with friends and family, that it is the little things that I remember and hold dear to my heart. Most of them involve a smile, or the laughter or surprise, or joy, of people I love. I truly love to see people smile. Not the pose for a picture smile; but, the spontaneous outburst of joy that comes from deep within, and you can tell by a face that is filled with delight. So although I share a picture, in my heart I hold a memory of the sound of Grandma’s delighted voice.
