Treasuring the special moments in our ordinary life

Over the past few years, inspired by my getting older, I’ve been thinking more and more about treasuring my days, be they ordinary or not. I’m not afraid of growing old or even dying, but I do hate it when I discover a whole week has gone by and I can’t remember anything special. I think perhaps this is one of the reasons I like to blog; it makes me search for the special things in my life, including the everyday hidden treasures, and writing them down as well as reading about them later, helps me remember them.

Pleasant moments of today may not be particularly memorable, and certainly not to anyone else but myself, but still, I smile when I think about

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  How I noticed that August reads fast and fluently, and how much joy he gets from reading now that it comes naturally. He reads out loud to himself, to William or to whomever happens to sit next to him on the couch. Although he’s perfectly capable of reading chapter books, he currently prefers to read all the books we read to him when he was little, almost as if he’s confirming his own ability. And how he does it; he doesn’t just read through the text, but marvels at the pictures, laughs and adds excited exclamations when the plot thickens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone take such pleasure in reading The very hungry caterpillar, The cat in the hat, Goodnight moon, Where the wild things are or Pippi Longstocking. It’s a true joy to watch him.
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  How I had no inspiration or energy to make lunch, and when hunger (and the kids' urgent cries for food)drove me into the kitchen, I found that Courtney had cooked lentil soup and made corn bread.
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  How nice it was to sit for an hour and read in the CSA garden while William had his taekwondo class, and how I enjoy reading my friends’ (including virtual) blogs every day, as well as my books.
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  How proud William is of his ability to do the first Pumsae, and how cute he looks when he does it.
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  How pleasant the weather is, and how lucky we are to be able to lead the life we lead. The days when one or both of us had to rush off to work in the early morning, often in pouring rain, leave the care of our children in someone else’s hands, and never have time for each other, are gone – at least for now.
• 
  Our baby; I can feel him move a lot. He’s active, that’s for sure, and I’m constantly reminded of his welcome presence. The boys notice it too, and the other day, as William put his cheek on my belly, the baby gave him a well-aimed kick in the ear. It was the first time William really felt the baby move, and what a move it was! The look on William’s face made my eyes watery with joy. There’s something about the unconditional happiness in a child that’s just perfect.

What makes you smile? What were your pleasant moments today?