It was an average Friday in our home. My husband had taken a few of the kids to school and I was at home getting the others dressed and fed. My phone dinged with a text from him asking me to find a piece of paper he left in his pocket. He said the paper was in the suit pocket he wore the day before. Simple enough.
I headed to the closet and realized I couldn’t recall which suit he wore the previous day. So, with kids crawling all over me, I proceeded to rummage through every pocket of every suit he owned. Throughout the process I found all kind of wrappers. Gum wrappers. Mint wrappers. Candy wrappers. But in one pocket I found the sweetest, smallest item.
In this grown man’s pocket of his business suit laid a tiny, little girl’s hair clip.
As I cupped the hair clip in my hand, I immediately I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude for all these little girls in my home who need their hair done. Thankfulness for three girls who have their own sense of style and like their hair done differently. I knew exactly who this particular clip belonged to. I could envision her playing in the yard and running to her dad to ask him to fix her hair. I was flooded with gratitude.
But not only gratitude for the little girl who wore this clip, but also for the man who carried it.
Gratitude for this man who took the time to do his little girl’s hair. Gratitude for this man who can make a ponytail and knows how to use detangler before running a brush through his girl’s hair. Gratitude for this man who shows his tender side by helping his girls daily. But ultimately gratitude for the man who ONLY has candy wrappers and little girl’s hair clips in his pockets.
As I sat in our closet, I realized that never once did I worry about what I may find in his pockets nor did he hesitate to ask me to look. It was a simple task that neither of us put much thought into. It wasn’t until I found the hair clip that I realized how different this situation could have turned out.
When my hand held this simple item, I was reminded that my life held so much.
While we vowed to be faithful, unfortunately faithfulness in marriage isn’t a guarantee. This is a gift some marriages haven’t received. It’s a gift that has been ripped away from some. Faithfulness is a gift that seems to be harder and harder to find in marriages.
This tiny hair clip was an unexpected reminder of the gifts I have been given in my marriage and in my home. It’s amazing how the ordinary can become a hidden treasure. These hair clips that seem to be scattered throughout my house are now sweet reminders of the little girls who live here. These hair clips are reminders of three girls who adore a dad who loves them like only a father can. These hair clips are reminders of the man who keeps his vows day in and day out.
One day we won’t have little girls asking us to do their hair. We won’t have little girl’s hair clips sprinkled around our home. My girls will grow up and eventually leave our nest and when they do, may our pockets always be filled with nothing but love and gratitude for each other.
Isn’t it awesome that such little things can be full of HUGE emotions? Thank you for reminding us to embrace the memories that overpower us throughout the day.
Choose gratitude!
Yes Sonia! We take so much for granted, so finding little nuggets of truth to remind us brings so much joy.