This Moment

After my post about getting in front of the camera, you’d think I never get my picture taken. Ironically, we had just had our family pictures made a few days before I posted that.

We went back to the same place we went last year, which is the same place we had our engagement pictures taken six years ago.

Last year, if you recall, I waxed poetic about cherishing and relishing the moment and not getting so uptight if everyone isn’t smiling or looking perfect.

And this year? I just bribed them. I bribed the little girl with a mixture of her favortie snacks- Cheerios, raisins, and mini chocolate chips. I bribed the boy with a chance to play his new (to him) Leapster for the first time.

And you know what? I still didn’t get the pictures I wanted, but I did get the pictures that capture us all just as we are in this moment.

My Lucas- so sweet and funny, so willing to please, a little goofy, a little flighty, but oh so adorably handsome. So good natured. So laid back. Such a wonderful big brother and an absolute joy to us.

My Caroline- so stubborn and sassy, so independent, so unwilling to cooperate, a little crazy, but oh so incredibly beautiful. So smart. So clever. Such a mess, but still a delight to our hearts.

Our family is silly and stubborn and quirky. Our life is messy sometimes. This moment of life is stressful and hectic. It’s overwhelming. But it’s also just plain wonderful. We are always there for each other. We fill each other up with hugs and laughter and sweet kisses. We cuddle. We play. We pray. We love.

I am so blessed and so very grateful.

The secret to happiness is really just being grateful for life as it is in this moment. It’s not wishing for yesterday or wondering about tomorrow. It’s not wasting or wishing time away. It’s not wishing for someone else’s happiness, it’s about finding our own. Usually that happiness is right beneath our noses.

What’s your happiness?

Life happens when we embrace this moment.