The Princess and I finally found a way to get to school on time without having a huge fight about…well EVERYTHING. It’s only taken 8 months really–quite a speedy discovery don’t you think?
Last week, the Princess got up early AGAIN and I had a brilliant idea. I offered that if she got ready super quick we could leave a half an hour earlier and go on a mile walk before drop off time at school. She was actually excited about that and that was the first time in months we made it to school on time without me having to remind her every five minutes of what small task she needed to do next before we left.
The early walk was a boon for me too. I love walking early in the morning, but since my husband leaves for work before the crack of dawn almost every day I haven’t been able to manage it except during vacations since the Princess was born. Getting exercise in before getting started on my regular work means that it actually gets done and I don’t end up putting it off until it is too late to squeeze it into my day.
We walked at a little park around a retention area that is quite nice early in the morning. The grass hasn’t gotten insanely tall yet so it hasn’t been mowed and since we haven’t quite reached boiling temperatures here in Florida there are wild flowers all along the way. The Princess loves picking flowers, but so often she isn’t allowed to. This time I let her pick all the dandelions she wanted because I knew everyone else thought they were weeds.
Not only did the Princess picks large quantities of little yellow flowers, she decided to give them away! Every person we crossed paths with on our little walk got handed a bright yellow flower and a bright little grin from the Princess. Even the unhappy looking people were smiling by the time she handed them a flower. More than one person commented on how she brightened their day.
Such a simple gesture, but such a big blessing to quite a few people! I wonder how many people we cross paths with every day that we could hand “a little yellow flower” to or show them some simple kindness and change the course of their day?
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
