25 Days of Giving...The gift of finding beauty.

"Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye."  ~Grey Livingston

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Everybody need beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in...where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."   ~John Muir

The gift of finding beauty is a gift that I give myself (and hopefully I've given to my kids as well).   Beauty can be found in the most ordinary of things...in the most ordinary of places.  I took this picture in a parking lot on a cold grey evening.  The sun was just beginning to set and I looked up and saw the branches of a tree silhouetted by this gorgeous colorful sky.  Beautiful.  Such a gift.

25 Days of Giving...The gift of time.

"If a person gives you his time, he can give you no more precious gift."  ~unknown

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly Merry Christmas." 
~Peg Bracken

"Being there for someone is what matters most, just a smile or even a hug can turn someones day around.  To us, family means putting your arms arouond each other and being there."
~Barbara Bush

One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the gift of time and of just "being there" for them (especially if that someone is your child).  My daughter had her first indoor track meet and we had no idea what to expect.  All I knew is that is was going to be LONG...they were leaving for the meet at 1:30 and not getting back until after 10:00 pm!  I had a million things on my "to-do" list...but I wasn't going to miss being there for anything!  I was so glad I went.  It was a lot of fun to watch...it was like being at a three ring circus.

The important thing is that we were there...showing our support.  Letting her know that we cared enough to be there....no matter what.  Documenting her first track meet with my camera.  Her Dad being there to help out with the team.  Sending in water and Cliff bars for the girls.  Hopefully being role models for when she grows up and has kids of her own.  There's a quote by Anna Quindlen that I love..."When in doubt, choose the kids.  There will be plenty of time later to choose work."  

Welcome December...25 days of giving

"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast." ~William Shakespeare

"Welcome every morning with a smile..." ~Og Mandino

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting- a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair sky, in every fair flower and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I know I say this every year, but I can't believe that it's already December! We put most of our decorations up over Thanksgiving weekend, so it's starting to look a little bit like Christmas around here. Although I'm not crazy about it getting dark outside before 5:00, I do love the month of December and all of the holiday activities leading up to Christmas Day. While the days are getting shorter, my "to-do" list always gets longer this month.

I'm going to add one more thing on my "to do" list though...I'm going to try to give a gift every day between now and Christmas. Twenty-five days of giving. It might be something I give to a friend...or to a stranger. It won't always be a gift that someone can hold in their hand. Most likely it will be simple. It may be handmade....or handwritten. No matter what the gift is, it will come from the heart...because giving brings me joy and makes me happy.