Scattered Joy

A deafening silence blankets our house this morning. 

Giggles & high-pitched happiness have escaped for a moment.

Off with friends.  They wander different halls.  Sing songs with sweet voices.

Learn new shapes & animal sounds.  Important things.  How to mix yellow & red to make orange.  That zebras have stripes & cheetahs, spots. 

Even in the temporary stillness, I still have scattered joy.  Remnants of lives very present.  Books that we will read for the 100^th time before they drift off to dream tonight. 

In the mundane chore of laundry, joy still evident.  Toys that welcome me as I pull the wet clothes from the washer.  Tucked in pockets with little hands.  Dinosaurs & Potato Head feet.   Buzz Light Year patiently waiting to be reunited with the little boy that delights in him every minute. 

Untucked beds.  Sheets that need washed.  Bears that have been hugged so much that their fur is beginning to thin.  They lie scattered on the floor.  Tucked in secret hideaways.

To my organized eyes, I see a mess.  Clutter that needs to find a specific place.  To my mommy heart, I feel joy.  Even in the silence.  In the moments that I can’t just reach out & feel arms wrapped around my neck as I get the biggest hug ever.  I feel love.  And I feel LOVED!  
In every room.  Every nook of a room.  There is a reminder.  Of a life that is lived in abundance.  And I am thankful.  For my scattered life.  And for the joy that fills these walls.  Even on the days when it really is hard to find…..I am still reminded.  Sometimes I have to make myself remember.  In those harder moments.  That joy does reside here.  But I am ALWAYS thankful!!