Perspective

We had high hopes for the weekend. We really did.

After all, it was Mother's Day. And our seven-year anniversary. And Will and I had Monday off, giving us a three-day break. Yes, the stars were aligned, the odds were in our favor, every sign pointed to a wonderful weekend.

Except ... nothing went as planned.

Instead of celebrating seven years of wedded bliss? We bickered. Instead of being a mother who deserved a holiday in her honor? I was exhausted and irritable. Instead of creating memorable moments together? We couldn't agree on an activity, so we mostly did our own thing. 

Pretty soon I found myself wishing that this much-anticipated weekend would just hurry up and end. 

And then ... yesterday. I took out my camera and stumbled across pictures I took last weekend. Do you want to know what I saw? Take a look ...

You know what I see in these pictures? A peaceful view. A loving family. Beautiful flowers. A handwritten note. And my own little Huckleberry Finn.

You know what I don't see in these pictures? Arguments. Stubbornness. Exhaustion.

My camera captured what I couldn't see.

The weekend was filled with little moments that should have stopped me in my tracks, should have made me marvel at God's goodness. But I missed them. I couldn't see the beautiful things that were unfolding around me because my focus was on how things weren't going my way. 

You know what I think? I think that's life. I think that sometimes life doesn't go the way we planned, sometimes the day-to-day falls short of our expectations. But you know what else I think? I think that in the midst of the mess, God is trying to get our attention. He fills our days - even the bad ones - with good things. We just need to open our eyes.