Fledging your kids, whether they are 5, 25, or 50, means making the most of small moments. I’m excited for Kim Chaffin to share a story from her new book Simply Blessed and to host a give away of a copy of it! Comment at the end of the story about a small moment you’ve been blessed by and you’ll be entered in the giveaway! Entries open until Jan. 1. Congratulations to MJ Smith from Colorado for winning Susie Finkbeiner’s A Song of Home.
I am a firm believer that it is the little things that bring us the most joy. A wet bath towel left on the floor was one of my biggest pet pe
eves as a mom. One day God used a wet bath towel to fill me with overwhelming joy.
When my son left for college we were told that when he came home for Thanksgiving that the time away at college would change him. Nothing against us, but in his short time at home he would want to spend time with friends. One of the best pieces of advice given to me was to make the most of the little amount of time we had with him and not to take it personally, if he did not want to spend every moment with his parents.
He was a college baseball player so he had to get in his workouts. I was thankful for the time we got to spend with him around the table on Thanksgiving. On Saturday morning he surprised me when he said, “Mom, I need to get in a workout. Would you work out with me so we can spend time together?”
I was in my workout clothes in record time. We had forty-five minutes to talk and I was so happy. As soon as the workout was done he was into the shower and then out the door to see his friends.
My happiness was temporarily interrupted when I found his wet bath towel lying on his bedroom floor. As I reached down to pick it up I mumbled to myself, “Seriously, how lazy can he be?” In that moment God stopped me in my tracks.
As I held the towel in my hand He reminded me of a friend who had lost her son before his first birthday. What she would have given to pick up a wet towel that her son had left on the floor. In that wet towel, a very little thing, I found overwhelming joy. I had a healthy son who left a wet towel on the floor for me to pick up. I was a full-on bawling mess of thankfulness as I hung that towel up. One of my former biggest pet peeves was now one of my biggest joys.
We are all so busy and forget to look for joy in the little things. The joy of a mess left by our kids, the joy found in the most unexpected places. I believe with my whole heart that God wants to meet us in those moments. In our daily often-mundane moments of life God is there with all kinds of heart-touching lessons as we take the time to look for them.
It is in those simple real-life lessons that God led to me to write Simply Blessed, a 31-day devotional. The thirty-one short stories remind us to look for the joy of the Lord in all areas of our life. From a pile of ironing, a day trip in the mountains, to the mess under our couch cushions, Simply Blessed reminds us of the true character of God.
I hope my story of a wet towel has brought you joy. May it be a reminder for you to slow down and look for the joy of the Lord in the little things.
Kim Chaffin
Simply Blessed is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. $1 per 
preordered book on or before December 31st goes to Generation Alive. GA is a nonprofit that teaches kids the importance of serving their community. $1 will cover the cost of 4 meals servings, packed by youth who are learning that they can do something to create change.
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simply-blessed-kim-chaffin/1127201793?ean=9781424556021
Connect with Kim on social media at the following links:
Blog: http://heartfeltramblings.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartfeltRamblingsOfAMidlifeDomesticGoddess/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartfelt_ramblings/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mom4Godalways
Thanks for the reminder to not miss the little things, to not miss the journey en route to the destination.
Sometimes in the midst of all the crazy tug of war and the growing pains I wonder what my kids are thinking, what memories do they have of growing up? So, I was blessed the other day to overhear a conversation between my daughters about a little boy they babysit sometimes.
Here it is, one of those little things:
“He’s got a great personality. But I just want to take him and mold him- give him my childhood. I want to take him to the library and make him sit there and read for hours! “
So glad I took the time. 🙂
By the way, I deleted part of this story from my comment here because it started turning into a future blog post. 😉
God bless, and congratulations on your new books Kim and Brenda.
Rachel,
Thank you so much! What a sweet story. It’s such a blessing when we see hear and see those things come back from our kids. It’s one of the blessings I’ve processed as I’ve written about the fledging process in Fledge the book. I look forward to reading this blogpost!
I want to read your future blog post. Can you email a link to your blog at domesticgoddess@heartfeltramblings.com
I am glad my post spoke to your heart.
Wow!…sounds like a really awesome book. As a mom to multiple littles and bigs, caretaker of multiple critters, and a crazy busy homestead, I often get overwhelmed with the little (and big) things. I read and pray often, eagerly seeking to find happiness and joy in the small things. Yet, I want to find these blessings as they grow and still at home. Thank you for this book giveaway…seems like another awesome one to add to the collection!
You are welcome Justine! And thanks for sharing the reality we all experience–being caught up in the pace of life, even praying, yet overlooking so many blessings in front of us!
Justine,
I do hope you take look at my book. It is perfect for a busy mom. The real-life short lessons will bring you joy. Have a blessed day. Kim Chaffin