Thankful for the Little Things

It's another cold, rainy day. And I had to get out in it. It's Thursday, so I spent the better part of the afternoon at my workplace in my weekly staff meeting. The rain began after we arrived, for which I was thankful since we had to unload my laptop, purse, the girl's bookbag and additional paraphanalia AND lunch...one bag and three drinks from Wendy's. If it had already been raining, the french fries would've been soaked.

The worst of the rain passed while we were there. That was good. And Aunt Junebug and BB were there working in the open area while we were there. When the really heavy stuff came through, and I was in my meeting, Aunt Junebug was able to reassure Kat that it was only rain. Kat and Aunt Junebug share a great fear of bad weather. Kat said later that she was really glad Aunt Junebug was there with her during the thunder part of the rain.

We had only taken one umbrella into the workplace. One small umbrella. I don't know why, since there are 3 in my car. BB was leaving at the same time, and she didn't have any umbrella. So, Kat volunteered to use the one umbrella to go to my car and get the other two, and then to walk BB to her car. The three of us (Kat, Banana, and I) then walked to the car, each with our own umbrella.

By the time we left, the rain wasn't quite as bad, but it was still coming down pretty good. I wanted to go right home, but I had to make a couple of stops. One of those stops was by the pediatrician's office to pick something up our doctor had for me. It was time sensitive, so I really needed to get it today. The parking lot was FULL. It's flu season, you know. So I gave up on the thought of parking under the little covered walkway (I can't remember what Junebug's little bro said that thing is called) and parked out in the lot...way out. I got out and told the girls I'd be right back. I went inside only as far as the receptionist window, avoiding any and all contact with parents of sick children, got what I needed, and left.

As I was leaving, I it occurred to me...I am really fortunate. For there, in the parking lot and entry way of the office building, were a number of moms. They were all in various stages of entering the building. One was parked under the covered thing. She had two car seats in the back, one for a toddler and the other for an infant. Oh how I remember those days. She was trying to figure out how to get the kids out of the car and into the building and still go park her car. There was another mom running across the parking lot carrying a preschooler, with no umbrella, both of them getting soaked. Still another mom was getting out of her car with an umbrella in one hand, trying to catch her toddler in her arms to carry her in under the small umbrella.

I honestly felt sorry for all three of them. I've been all three of those moms. I would have offered to help the lady with the two babies, but I had my own kids in the car out in the parking lot, and I really don't think she would have left them with a stranger anyway. But I must admit, even as I was feeling sorry for them, I left the parking lot with a small smile on my face. Like I said, I've been all those moms. I lived through it and survived. And today, my kids walked to the car in the rain, carrying their own umbrellas and their own stuff, put themselves in the car and buckled themselves in, and sat by themselves while I left them in the car to take care of my errand.

So yes, it has been a day to be thankful for the little things. I take 'em where I can get 'em.