Our Simple Path

Have you ever bought a brand new book and gently traced the title with your finger? Or quietly flipped through the pages, taking in the deepest breath you can to smell that beautiful new book smell? Whenever I buy a new book, I almost feel giddy inside, like I just can't wait to start this new adventure or learn everything it has to offer. I love new beginnings!
My cousin once told me she liked to read the last page first and it almost crushed me. How can one ruin the entire experience of an amazing journey by reading the last chapter first?! She explained to me that by doing so, she didn't need to rush through the fun and exciting details of the book to find out what happens in the end. By already expecting the ending, she was able to delight in every chapter. I really thought this peculiar, until the next time I picked up a new book. I realized by chapter 4, I was reading as fast as I possibly could to rush to the end.
In English class, one day, my fellow classmates were discussing an interesting aspect in a certain part of our reading assignment that I had failed to pick up on. How had I missed that? I always took such pride in my reading. I realized once again, I was so focused on what was going to happen in the main plot that I was skimming over what I thought was minor details.
This blog is like my brand new book. But....this blog is where I'm making a promise to slow down and pay attention to detail. I've spent too much of my life running as quickly as I can to accomplish as much as I possibly can in the shortest amount of time as I possibly can. This past year, I feel a new outlook has presented itself to me. Its as if I've heard a whisper saying, sit down, reread that chapter and really relish in the beauty of the whole picture.
So, I invite you to come along and read with me. We are going to stop and smell every flower, taste every chocolate, sing every hymn, and stand in awe of every rainbow, sunrise, and sunset. I will make no apology for finding and pointing out the beauty and my new favorite thing in every sight we see. However, there will be sad days too and that's ok. The valley is what makes the mountaintops so beautiful. I'm going to cherish the tears just as I do the smiles. One. Simple. Day. At. A. Time.