These Ordinary Tasks

Today was filled with small tasks, none of which felt very important and certainly not meaningful.

It snowed most of the night, and when we awoke to see a couple inches of snow on the ground, the children could barely wait for breakfast to be over so they could go out in it.

Some found their coats and boots, hats and gloves while others freaked out that they were being left out and bawled for help at the glove basket where only one mitten could be found.

Finally even Oscar and Ariel were all bundled up and ready to venture out into the snow. It lasted five minutes before Ariel was back, crying because the snow had made her gloves wet.

I stripped off her outdoor clothes and put them in the dryer, then held her while I swept up the mud that had been tracked in the door.

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up bits of Playdoh from the floor, switching loads of laundry, getting Oscar started on some coloring, trying to keep Ariel entertained, and listening to Gabe sound out words in school.

As I fixed salmon for lunch, I thought back over the morning and wondered where it had gone. My to-do list sat on the counter with nothing crossed off, yet I had been busy the entire morning.

In these busy days, it is often hard for me to remember that my to-do list is not the most important part of my day. All these little, seemingly insignificant tasks are what create a home, and a safe, loving place for my children to grow up.