Savor.

This little girl is a gift. God saw it fit to give me this one at the end to help me slow down and enjoy life. She grabs hold of life and jumps in with both feet.

In the middle of a snow storm this girl dressed herself and snuck out of the house to go exploring. This is how Mark found her wearing her sisters coat and shoes loving every second of her freedom and very proud of her outfit of choice.

I love how she savors the small things in life. While walking the streets in Emerald Isle we came to a big pink beach house. She just stood there for a minute taking it all in. "Its so pretty" she said in a voice of awe. I turned my head and looked, really looked too. The way the sun hit the pink made it glow and the moment really did feel magical. Then she noticed that her flip flops were pink just like house and she just stood there looking down and then back up marveling at a house of pink.

She makes me stop and notice the small things I too often miss in the business of life.

While going out to eat she ordered a bowl of mac and cheese and when it came she could not stop exclaiming. "Dad smell this. Doesn't it smell good?" "Mom take a bite." "It is yummy in my tummy". 

Her enthusiasm is contagious.

I can learn a lot from her about savoring the small things in life. The small things that make life beautiful like pink beach houses, bowls of mac and cheese, sisters clothes and fresh snowfalls.

"Savor. Such a simple word causes the heart to slow down and take delight in a moment. It provokes the soul to stop and breathe a little slower. It opens the eyes to see, truly see."

~Melissa Helser