500 Paper Cranes

(I don't want a two-dimensional life)

It took my six-year old less than two days to use up a box of origami paper—500 sheets, every color of the rainbow. The house is littered with paper cranes and paper boxes, bows and flowers, swans and stars. They are spilling out of boxes, poking out from underneath the couches, piling up on tables and under tables and scattered in every corner of this house.

I sit here on the couch, nursing a five-week old baby, looking around, wishing I were cleaning so that in three hours, when I sit here to nurse the baby again, the room will match the magazine picture I have in my head of what this house could be.

And then, the words come.

This is beautiful.

I recall the image of my son, sitting over his stack of paper, carefully folding and unfolding, head cocked to the side, oblivious that he is humming a song. He is focused, enthralled, alive.

This is beautiful.

I survey the room again, let my eyes wander into the kitchen, the dishes, the laundry, the table spread with tea cups and more stacks of paper, pencils and markers, people coming and going, making marks, making messes. There is no corner of my house that I could share in a photograph.

But this is beautiful.

I don’t want to live in a magazine. I don’t want a two-dimensional life. Instead of a stack of untouched paper, I want paper cranes and flowers, bows and boxes, swans and stars, every color of the rainbow.

This is beautiful.

I turn my gaze to this tiny baby, breathe in her newborn fragrance, look into her quiet, thoughtful eyes. They are looking back at me.

Oh, God, for all your mercies, for the gift of my life, thank you.

This is beautiful.

Dear friends,

No matter your circumstance or your season, I pray God will help you to see beauty today.

With Love,

Mackenzie

From the Family:

Seems related: This song we recorded 16 years ago (what?!?!?) about surrendering to the beauty of living with children.

There will be a time for tea and coffee
There will be a time for quiet cafes
There will be a time for reading and writing
And dreaming the day away
But now is the time of pitter patter
And now is the time of what’s the matter
Let me kiss you, make it better
And now is the time of sweet, soft kisses
And now is the time every mother misses
Over coffee in a quiet cafe

You can hear the recorded version on our album, Home, recorded in 2013:

From the Family Shop:

Ps. If you want to listen to the audio of today’s post, click the voiceover button at the top.