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Family

This Day

by Emily Freeman  •   Nov 3, 2009  •   21 Comments  •  
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In my head, November has a big sign hanging over it with helium-filled balloons, spelling out Welcome to the Crazy! To be fully present and engaged during the holiday season is one of my biggest challenges. There doesn’t seem room to celebrate what is while anticipating what is to come. Things simply have to get done.

This past year, I have purposed to slow down and notice what is real and true this day: the messy (because a pile of pink laundry means two healthy girls live here),

Pink
the lovely (because if I don’t look I won’t see),

The lovely
and the unexpected: both good,

The unexpected good

and not so good.

The unexpected
To celebrate the loud moments with child-like enthusiasm,

The loud ones too
and to receive truth in the quiet when the time comes.

The quiet moment
It takes effort to be present on purpose and to see beyond the messy living room in order to appreciate the beauty of family and togetherness. For me, the simple act of noticing inevitably leads to thankfulness.

Would you like some extra encouragement during this busy season to slow down and celebrate smallness? Each Tuesday, a small community of women write a post on their blogs to do just that: to celebrate the beauty in the midst of the chaos. They all link up at Chatting at the Sky and we call it Tuesdays Unwrapped. We would love for you to join us.

You could also join Ann Voskamp’s Gratitude Community, where they celebrate One Thousand Gifts; not gifts wanted, but gifts already in hand.

Or visit Melissa of The Inspired Room on Fridays, where she hosts A Beautiful Life series, encouraging us to take small steps toward making our life and home beautiful.

Give yourself permission to take the time to unwrap the small, secret gifts of the everyday; to see the moments that may have otherwise disappeared under the pile of daily tasks. What is real and true this day? Discover and receive it with thanks.

by Emily

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