The Big Picture

I was commiserating with a good friend the other day about our mutual bad habit of noticing our children's shortcomings, when we would so much rather be celebrating their great strengths. Perhaps it's the same instinct that drives us to always improve our environment - like the picture on the wall hanging crooked which we must set straight. Why do we have to see what is wrong rather than what is right? The picture, even crooked, is beautiful.

As a mother, I worry. I worry that my children spend too much time on the computer, too many hours at their friends playing video games, not enough time reading. They don't do chores, they fight too much, their rooms are messy. All they want to eat is sugar. How many days has it been since they bathed? So many worries, which sound a lot like complaints when I listen to myself. I'm an "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative" kind of person, so why is it so hard for me to do this as a mother?

Well, today I found the silver lining. I was laying on the couch, not feeling so hot, fighting a sore throat, reading a book, and I looked over to see my kids playing together. They were getting along, sharing, chatting. Avery had an hour before she had to leave for gymnastics, and Aidan said, "Don't go to gym Avery. Stay home and play Legos with me!"

I could tell she was entertaining this idea.



Not long after Avery left for gym, Aidan dumped his picnic basket full of Legos on the floor and said, "Look Mom, I'm rich in Legos!"

I looked past the mess and saw his wealth.