pearls

When you give a tiny girl a strand of pearls and tell her she may wear them any time she wants to but that they’re fragile and not like a toy with the added suggestion that maybe she save them for special occasions, you just never know when she’ll emerge from her room wearing them.

From two years old on, she has surprised me with delight when I’ve seen her at occasions she’s chosen to wear them. Sometimes it’s for a Christmas concert with a special dress. Or it may just be while she’s creating another masterpiece of artwork in the playroom. Other times it’s simply to go to the grocery store in her play clothes. It’s a lovely reminder that you really just never know when you might need your “pearls”.

Some days, you just feel special so you need to celebrate. And some days, you need to celebrate just so you’ll feel special. And then there are some days, you need a reminder of what is lovely because you’re facing something hard or sad.

I have a feeling these days are a combination of all three, but maybe a little bit more of the later two. But know, there is no pause on simple choices to bring delight. There is no quarantine on enjoying something that you love, simply because you love it. There’s no postponing of clinging to a reminder of hope in the face of darkness. Even when it seems there is no “reason” to do something, know it’s reason enough that it beckons you nearer to joy, delight and wonder. Because these are fulfilled perfectly in the Creator of all and Giver of every good gift.