"How did I get so lucky?!"

My sister Lara married her sweetheart on the twenty-first day of February. 

In her text with this photo she said, "How did I get so lucky?!"

She must have done something right, the mother of a twenty-year-old missionary, Tanner, who told me after having delivered his farewell address, that his mom was always there for him.

 

Although her daughter, Sierra, has never drifted a bit even during her teen years, she is thoughtful and caring enough to buy the engagement ring Todd used to propose (since the one he ordered wasn't ready on the day that he had arranged for the missionaries to film the proposal on Temple Square) and she genuinely enjoys spending time with her mom and Todd.

The way her eyes light up when she talks about the renewed relationship with her mother. She seems relieved about how things have turned out.

“I must have done something right,” Lara could be saying to her self. Instead she is counting her lucky stars.

Her oldest son is twenty seven. My oldest son is eighteen. I don’t want to wait nine years to know whether or not I’ve done something right. Because now is when I need to hear it.

Now—when I am in smack dab in the middle of raising my boys.

Now—when I feel the pressure to examine every choice I make, wondering how these choices will affect them now and in the future.

Now—when I want to trust my gut and live by heart rather than simply go along with mainstream opinion or “expert” advice.

Now—when I need little glimmers of hope to cling to each day.

So I have decided not to wait.

Each day for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been looking for a little rightness—a little what-is-right-in-my-world.

Notice I say “a little.” Because what I am talking about is practically unnoticeable. It’s hardly note-worthy. And it’s definitely not anything worthy of public sharing—at least not according to blog standards. But that’s why it’s working for me. That’s why it’s encouraging to me. Because looking for what is right in my world – in my day – in my hour – is far more encouraging than looking for what is “right” in my world according to popular opinion.

I invite you to take a look. Maybe this list will inspire you to see what is right in your world today.

Right in my World

I took him to the “free” pancake day even though I knew nothing is truly free.
I took him to try on sweatshirts. Lots of sweatshirts.
I took a deep breath when I felt like I might explode.
He took my hand as we walked across the parking lot and left it there a good long while.

I’m doing something right.

I gave him a leg rub when the couch was calling my name.
I gave him a second chance and he used it for good.
I gave him some help cleaning up that disaster of a room.
He gave me a happy-to-see-you-smile when I came to pick him up.

Lara was doing something right.

{Corona Del Mar}