Surprises

Surprises come in all shapes and sizes, good and bad, big and noisy or small and simple. Noticing my son has a full, smelly diaper: big, bad surprise. (Okay, it is healthy that he's having regular bowel movements, but still, it can be off-putting to have to deal with that right around my own mealtime.) My husband bringing me home a candy bar: small, good surprise. Life is full of them, and I've had a few good ones lately.

Yesterday our neighbors dropped by with a little bag of chocolates for us. Small, very good surprise. I like to share a lot, particularly when I make any sort of baked good; my husband and I don't really need a whole pan of brownies all to ourselves. But sometimes I feel bad when nobody reciprocates. I will continue to share, whether or not anyone returns the favor, but it sure is nice when someone does it back.

Yesterday my father sent me a little something for Valentine's Day. He usually does something for me, but it was getting late in the day and I figured he just got too busy this year. I never want to expect things like that and then have to calm myself down for getting so worked up over my expectations. Well, nice little surprise: he DID remember, the delivery people were just late! 

Today my sister-in-law dropped by for a visit. I hadn't seen much of her lately because she is expecting, and most ladies do not feel well at all for those first three months! So today she visited us for a few hours, playing games with us and chatting. It was also a distraction and something new for my little one, so he was happier and not bored today. (Moms can be sooooo boring sometimes.) Then, during my sister's visit, my Visiting Teacher dropped by with some Valentine's sugar cookies, "extending the holiday," as she put it. Delicious cookies, but it was even nicer that someone was thinking of me. So two more little happy surprises.

Then there are the not-so-good surprises. In some areas of the country, where winters are harsh and the heat must be on 24/7, power bills go way up. These areas usually have government-run programs as well, extra funds or "grants" to help low-income families pay for their heat in the winter. My family qualified for assistance (not a surprise, since I've participated in the program before, but still good). However, the assistance will not kick in for another five weeks: bad little surprise. At least the credit lasts until we use it up and doesn't have to be used by the end of winter.

Another bad little surprise: still no paycheck in the mail. My hubby did a little side job for about five days a few weeks ago, and we still haven't been paid for it. It's tough going to check the mail every day only to be disappointed. Also, I've only received one letter back from the missionaries I've been writing to, after sending out a total of six letters over the past couple months. They are busy, though; in this sense it's a real service on my part to continue writing, regardless of whether or not they write back. I appreciate mail that's not junk or a bill, so I'm sure they do, too.


My aunt and uncle started a "lemonade" wall a while ago, something in which their whole family participates. It's a giant sheet of paper, and each family member writes down when something good happens to them, and everything goes up there, big or small. I think it's also supposed to be a way of looking for the positive spin even in negative scenarios, turning life's lemons into lemonade. It's actually a very good idea. Psychologically speaking, when a person purposely looks for the good things in life, they view their life as happier and better overall. If you think your glass is half full, you're exactly right.


Maybe I should start my own lemonade wall. Those sugar cookies would definitely be up there :)