Friday's Writing Prompt: Simply Beautiful

Mama's Losing It: Write about the simple things.

Life is a funny thing.

We work our butts off- day in, day out- so we can -not just LIVE- but live WELL. For some reason, someone put the statement out there that life isn't worth living unless you have it all while doing it all.

People watch their marriages crumble because they're so busy keeping up with the Jones' that they neglect their own home. Our kids get into trouble because they're hoping for any kind of attention, but that's ok, because they're wearing those sneakers that the Jones kid wears that they just HAD to have.

*stepping down off my soapbox*

I live in Southern California (some of the only really personal info I'll put out there), and in a place where EVERYthing is only an hour away, my favorite times I've had have been spent with my family just a few miles away: on hikes, traveling down mine and my husband's 'Memory Lane'; sitting in our local mall, people watching; our Date Night's in when we've played games together...

Sure, if we had more money, things would be easier and we'd probably make memories at Disneyland and what not, but the thing about lacking a huge bank roll, is you have to get creative.

Think about it- when you were younger, you didn't have access to money, so what did you make your parents for birthdays and holidays? Macaroni structures, coupon books, pictures on construction paper...

My mom accidentally sliced her finger when I was younger and needed stitches. The only thing I knew I could do to help her feel better was make her a picture. Now, I'm sure she might have one or two cards saved from over the years, but I know for a fact that picture I drew to help her feel better is in one of her photo albums. Its nothing fancy- far less superior to anything I could do today- but to my mom, it was worthy enough to be put into her album of things to remember.

When I was younger, we took yearly trips to an amusement park near us (good 'ol So Cal), and while I can kind of remember little details from a couple of the trips, none of them compare to the week long camping trip my dad took us on where we visited a few different states or the nights my dad would sit reading to us from the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Trips to my Grammie's house are mainly remembered for the trips to the water tower, the walks to 7-11 with my cousins to buy Garbage Pail Kids, the walks to the park, and lying on the trampoline, looking at the stars.

When my kids are grown, I'm hoping that they'll treasure the simple things like I do. Sure, I hope they make a LOT more money and can afford more, but I hope that when they look back, their favorite times are things like our family reunions, playing catch with their dad, helping me in the kitchen, and going fishing with their grampa. I hope that even though they own many nice things, the things they cherish the most will be the things money can't buy.

Because, in the end, you'll come home from that trip, those "things" will get old, broken, or go out of style, but the simple things- those are the things you take the most care of and put in a place where they'll never be destroyed...

your heart.