Do you ever stop to appreciate the things that bring a smile to your face?

I was thinking about it the other day.  How many things bring a smile to my face each and every day and how I often don't stop to really appreciate them.   Like so many people, I can get so caught up in my day-to-day life that I forget to slow down to experience my blessings in their richness.   I know times are tough...they really are...it is not our imagination, but still, we have so many things, big and small, to smile about each day if we just stop to see them.  So, I thought I'd share a few with you during this season of gratitude nestled in midst of some seriously challenging times.  Maybe it will help you see the smiles in your own day.

I was cleaning up the kitchen and came across this birthday card given to me a few weeks ago by my Buttercup.

She made it herself.  She said she thought the little kitty on the front made the card seem more like it was for me.  She was right.

She decided to carry the kitty theme further and gave me this little guy playing with a rhinestone ball on the inside.  Wasn't that thoughtful?  And wasn't it amazingly kind of my friend to give Buttercup the time and place to make such a wonderful card? 

Thinking of the card got me thinking back to my birthday and the gift Buttercup surprised me with.  She gave me what truly might have been the most amazing gift I've ever received.

Let me back up a minute.  For years, when the kids have asked me what I want to be when I grow up "besides a mommy, Mom!", I've always answered them with "a fairy princess with silver wings...so far, I haven't seen any want ads, but as soon as an opening for one of those opens up, I'm outta here!".  That never fails to make them smile.

Well, this year for my birthday, Buttercup decided to help me achieve my dreams...she gave me silver wings (with glitter), a tiara (royalty here, remember?), and a magic wand.  (Fairy princesses need wands, you know.)  Now I get to be a Fairy Princess with Silver Wings and a Mom...all my dreams in one place.

I've got to put the wings away soon, but for now, seeing them makes me smile at her kindness, her cleverness, and her generosity.   A daughter who is trying to make my dreams come true definitely brings a smile to my face.   Come on, admit it, you'd smile, too, wouldn't you?