The Little Things

Life's greatest pleasures may be found in the smallest of things. Here are some of my favorite "small" things: hearing my 3 year old say "I love you" with that perfectly sweet voice of his; the perfect cup of coffee accompanied by uninterrupted conversation with the man I love; the not-so-perfect cup of coffee with my dear husband that is most definitely interrupted by the chaos of our four beautiful children; the smell and the sound of rain; reading a great book in bed until I am too sleepy to keep my eyes open; bathing in the beauty of a wonderful piece of art; discussing art with my art-loving hubby; sitting in the backyard on a warm summer evening drinking a Boulevard Wheat beer with my favorite guy; riding the El in Chicago; listening to the birds sing; watching Lord of the Rings with my family; playing in the snow with my kids; a snowfall that is full of fat, fluffy, fast-falling flakes; my eight-year-old's constant enthusiastic questions of "what's your favorite.... (whale, tree, shark, thing that flies, movie, food, book)"; watching my children run with carefree abandon; dancing uninhibitedly in my living room to fun pop music; singing along with John Denver at the top of my voice; closing my eyes and listening to a masterpiece by Mozart, Boccerini, or Haydn to name a few; sitting in a smoky bar enjoying live jazz; my Dad's corny sense of humor; my Mom laughing so hard that she snorts; my children's faces on Christmas morning; snuggling with my kids; holding hands with Patrick.