Sunday, May 2, 2010

blissful simplicity



 :: my children are very blessed. blessed with people who love them dearly. blessed with family and friends to share in their birthday celebrations. blessed with family, who would do anything for my children and would give my children the world. and children just do not need a world of material goods, but it always nice to have a few special gifts for a birthday celebration. gifts that are chosen with much thought and consideration. gifts that are beautifully made and well crafted. gifts that have meaning and purpose. and sometimes myself, i am left wondering if what i have to give is enough. 

many questions run through my head. should i make something more? should i purchase something else?  will there be enough to fill up the easter basket? 

after a wonderful birthday celebration, sweet memories shared and a bounty of new gifts, we shared the remainder of the evening building fairy houses, playing with the fairy trinkets from the treasure hunt, drawing some pictures with on her new drawing pad and reading. we read a story from her new grimm's fairy tales book and a second-hand copy of Miss Rumphius, which is a wonderful story with a message about doing something to make the world more beautiful.

and today, my daughter had been watching out for butterflies in the garden, listening to the little chirps from our bird house, looking at the ants in the sidewalk cracks, picking violets and playing with her wooden warbler water whistle. she is blissfully swimming in her pool, searching for some of her new birthday treasures underwater: a piece of granite, a foreign coin, a rose quartz point and a bracelet made from new beads her brother (and i) picked out for her. she is eager to hang her new wind chime and plant her sunflower seeds later on today and is excited about making more "fairy wands", which are the fruit skewers we made for her birthday party. 

and it is a reminder to me that children do not need much. there have been a few gifts that have been played with, but mostly she is fully content engaging in the wonder and beauty of nature.

4 comments:

boatbaby said...

Sosososososo true! I wish more people would understand this. You are a very wise mama!

christine ~ ourdayourjourney said...

oh, am a work in progress and i'm still learning. it reminded me of your recent puppet show entry. children need free time.

Anonymous said...

Christine, before big days like birthdays or christmas day I usually think 'I hope I have got them enough' b/c in todays world people think about the 'amount' of gifts given. B/c some of the nautural toys I buy for the children are epensive quite often they will simply have one present from my husband and I and few smaller gifts from relatives which we have helped to choose. In the future I am going to try and remind myself that it is not the amount that is given but the love they are given with and the most thing children need/want is time with their parents, reading, cuddling, being outdoors all together.

christine ~ ourdayourjourney said...

Rosaleen, of course, any parent wants to surprise their LOs with a sweet present that will make them grin from ear to ear. we all want our children to be happy. but i try and look at it as filling the child, with love, warmth, and rhythm.

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