The Best Part of my Day

There is a new group on the web : http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com

They offer weekly catalyst for art and journaling.  I decided to participate this week.  The catalyst is "the best part of my day" and yesterday, I had already drawn out these leaves to paint and realized that receiving this single leaf (drawn twice) was the best part of my day.  You see, Max has had a stomach virus all weekend so having a sick kid well, it sucks.  Then, to top it off,  at about 10:00 in the morning with us home and neighbors milling about outside, some guy just walked right up my driveway and took Max's bike from under the carport!  Only those who know the miles Max puts on that bike daily can imagine how devastating this is for a 6 year-old-boy.  After 20 minutes of hysterical crying, he was pacing around outside completely distraught when he walked up to me and handed me this leaf.  I knew immediately I would add it to my watercolor journal.  This is what I wrote:

Max is my little guy who seems to never stop moving.  This morning, his most prized possession, his bike, was stolen.  He's very upset to say the least.  Yet, my distraught little guy still notices the little things, even in the midst of his sobbing fits outside.  He finds this beautiful leaf, picks it up, and brings it to me.  "Here mommy, I got this for you."  Max may appear to never cease motion but he's never too busy moving too fast to stop and notice the little things.  My son knows me well and allowed me to share in the beauty of noticing.

Geez while typing this out, I noticed spelling errors on my page... oh well... (chanting: there's beauty in imperfection, there's beauty in imperfection....)

This leaf represents so much about Max and his relationship with me.  He knows that I love nature and am constantly noticing and pointing out the little things.  They excite me.  Max is like this too.  He's the visual guy who notices everything.  He's the one who is always bringing me the dead bee.... well, actually he finds them and then comes to get me to pick them up for my collection (he's afraid of them, even dead).  He's the one who picks tiny flowers for me.  Max, the one who often has me ripping at my hair in exasperation, knows how to make my heart sing.  There is nothing better than being known by someone.  This leaf , given to me by a 6 year-old boy, tells me I am known and loved.  That is why this little thing that was laying on the ground so insignificant, has become profoundly significant and was the best part of my day.