More Little Things...

Last year for my birthday, nestled amongst the gifts from my mom, I received a bar of soap. Now, it was not an ordinary bar of Dove or Irish Spring, but a big, round, lemon-scented bar, made in Italy. It was weighty—feeling about the size of a big Russet when you held it in your hand. It was a nice bar. But, it was soap.

I tucked the bar up in my bathroom closet with my other supplies and, to tell you the truth, I kind of forgot about it.

Then, last week, in an attempt to get Morgan into the shower, I told her, “Morgan, look! I have a brand new bar of lemon soap you can use. It’s from Italy.”

This caught her attention. “Oooohhhhhh,” admired Morgan, shimmying out of her school clothes, now eager to jump into the shower.

Then Peyton came bounding into the bathroom and sniffed the box, still heavy with lemon scent. “Yum!” she said, also admiring the soap. “I’m taking a shower next!”

Later, while Morgan was snuggling with her dad, I overheard her ask, “Dad, do I smell like lemons?”

And a wet-haired Peyton made the effort to tell me, “Mom, that soap is pretty awesome.”

Who knew that my family would be so enamored by a bar of soap?

But here’s the best part: Two days later, the girls and I toodled through Cost Plus looking for an inexpensive birthday gift for Peyton’s teacher. And of course, you know what Peyton wanted to get: A bar of soap.

This little bar has reminded me of the value in the simple things.
Each day, remember the BIG joy that little things can bring:

A thoughtful email.
A good bar of dark chocolate.
A latte.
A hug.
A perfect orange.
A funny card.
A phone call from a friend.
A ten minute nap.
The sun on your face.

And, if you’re lucky,

A bar of soap.