Through the Eyes of a Child

When I picked Sara Kate up from school one day last week, they were decorating for Christmas. They were getting the Christmas tree to put up by the front door, they were getting the garland and wreaths out for the interior doors, and they have this blow up snow globe thing (like you see in people's front yard) that has a rotating Santa and a reindeer that they were getting ready to put up in the center open part of the building. It was something really similar to this...

Well, I just couldn't wait to take Sara Kate to school the next morning to see her reaction. I knew it would be the most adorable thing and I just knew her face would light up with joy and delight. The next morning we were running late (of all mornings), but I quickly signed her in, entered my security code, opened the door, and there it was, all blown up with Santa just a rotating. I looked down at Sara Kate...I looked at her face...it lit up with delight just like I figured it would...her smile of seeing that silly rotating Santa snow globe for the first time is something I'll never forget...she ran to it and just stared at it...she smiled a smile of pure unadulterated joy...and every time the reindeer would come around she would say 'ruff ruff' because she thought it was a dog. It was the absolute cutest, most precious thing I've ever seen. But in the anticipation of the moment, combined with our lateness, I left my phone in the car. So I missed the perfect opportunity to capture the moment. When I picked her up from school that day, I took my phone inside to snap a picture, knowing it wouldn't be the same reaction as that first glance, but still figuring she would have a look of amazement. And I was right. She just started at it, taking it in, trying to figure it out, still saying 'ruff ruff.'

I see those blow up snow globes or blow up Christmas decorations in people's yard and I laugh and think they're silly (sorry if that offends anyone reading this), but I will see them in a whole different light now. If we could all slow down and really take a look at our surroundings, we might just see things through the eyes of a child. We might just see the purity, the innocence, and the magic of it all.