2004
This Mother’s Day, I’m reflecting on things my kids have taught me:
the daily beauty right under our noses
the importance of paying attention,
and finding wonder in the mundane.
the daily beauty right under our noses
the importance of paying attention,
and finding wonder in the mundane.
Mary Oliver would be proud.
My grandmother had this Royal Doulton swan figurine with a blooming garden nestled in its wings. I never really paid it much attention. It lived quietly on her side table for decades, and now it lives in my mother’s kitchen. Over the past several years, whenever we visit, my now-6-year-old son has built a ritual around decorating the kitchen table with little porcelain treasures. The swan abides.
As I’ve navigated the joys and challenges of 10 years of motherhood, I’ve come to understand that these little rituals and seemingly trivial bits are actually the stuff of life. Reaching back through the decades, this small figurine has floated a quiet and steady thread through generations. I didn’t notice the little things then. I notice them now.
The swan stands
As I’ve navigated the joys and challenges of 10 years of motherhood, I’ve come to understand that these little rituals and seemingly trivial bits are actually the stuff of life. Reaching back through the decades, this small figurine has floated a quiet and steady thread through generations. I didn’t notice the little things then. I notice them now.
The swan stands
a sentinel of the mundane made sacred
guarding
guarding
the beauty
of life’s
small things
