So What’s Your Stick?

Meet Finn, he’s seven months old and weighs seventy pounds. He came to visit us for Thanksgiving. He had turkey and pie crust, and other things that ‘fell’ off the table. What he really loved were his sticks. He had more fun rummaging around the place finding his own stick and then carrying it around. It was like a little kid in a candy store, but his store was a land full of sticks.

His enthusiasm and energy for sticks reminded me that sometimes we need to be thankful for the simple things. A sandwich at the end of a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration made from leftovers and white bread. Or maybe Cool whip on the family favorite cranberry gelatin salad, or another piece of homemade apple pie. Maybe time with family listening to stories and tales, and celebrating just being together. Or the quiet once everyone has gone to bed, knowing they are full of good food and sleeping peacefully.

The holidays can be overwhelming if we let them. The hustle and bustle of keeping up, getting done, being here and then being there can drive us to exhaustion. We get so busy getting into the holidays that they pass before we even know they were here. The end of one year and the beginning of another can be depressing, exciting, daunting and surprising all at the same time. Instead of getting all pensive and worried, scheduled and harried…I would ask you to think about this one…if a stick makes Finn happy, what simple thing makes you happy? What do you need to bring out your energy and enthusiasm? Maybe you know exactly what that is, maybe you have no clue? Maybe you knew what it was last year and you are not sure this year? Maybe you need to think about that one. So what is your stick? What will bring a smile to your face and joy to your soul? Sometimes it is the simple things in life that can make our world seem complete.