A Few Simple Things

We live in so much beauty that goes unnoticed so many times. I'm talking about the beauty in our morning cup of coffee, those still quite moments that are rare and even the mess that shows the beauty of life. Beauty isn't alway that turquoise looking lake somewhere in the mountains or someone else's vacation pictures nor their clean home pictured perfectly. Beauty is the life we live right now.
I've learned not to take the little simple things for granted because loosing my two nephews and sister-in-law to murder puts life into perspective. I can't help but notice the mess and be thankful I have a child in the house to argue with, a child who makes a mess and makes his little self known.  Like at this moment, he is in timeout and I am here on the computer with a thankful heart. What a blessing it is to parent him even in those hard moments where he says, "I don't like you!" This is a reminder to myself, one that I will be thankful for in years to come.
Its also about living small and not grasping for the big, the deceptive and the things that may look oh so glamorous to us. We were made to be small, to enjoy the small. So here are a few small moments that I enjoyed this past week. Looking back at the images I realize that they aren't that small, but make up my life. Add Jesus to the mix and life has the most beautiful meaning and purpose because without Him all this beauty is empty. I can go on and on, but I'll stop here for now.
I'd love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite unnoticed beauty?