rare finds

when i was a child, i loved stickers. and with stickers, came sticker books. one of my favorite sticker books had several pages with a different category on each page, such as "Animals" or  "Weird Shapes" and even had pockets in which to place your leftover collection.  on one of the pages, the category was "Rare Finds."  i remember going up to my mom and asking her what "Rare Finds" meant. she told me it meant the really tiny accent stickers on a sheet of stickers, because those were, well, rare.  and so i filled the "Rare Finds" page up with bugs and flowers and small hearts and stars.

now that sticker book is hidden away somewhere, with most of my other childhood memorabilia.  and i don't know if it's the fact that it's Memorial Day weekend, or that i got to see some old friends & family recently, but whatever the case, it got me reminiscing about people and places, and well, things from my past.

sometimes, it's easy to feel sorry for yourself when you feel nothing is going right in your life. it might be regarding a job that isn't ideal, or certain relationships that aren't what you think they should be.  it might be just a day where you spill on your clean shirt, you step in a pile of mud, you forgot to put make-up on, and you didn't have time to shower. maybe someone close to you passed away.  maybe someone is consistently disrespecting you and you can't shake it.  maybe you can't seem to get ahead, financially. or maybe, you just feel sad for no reason.

but then, all of a sudden, if your lucky and you wait for it, you'll have "the moment".  a moment of peace and clarity, where you realize everything IS as it should be and you have so many wonderful people in your life (and in your house) who are so beautiful - inside & out - and talented and, for whatever reason, want to spend time with you!  and then you realize, wow. that's the stuff that really matters. that's the stuff it's easy to forget about and take for granted.  and those are the real moments of life to savor.  those rare occasions when everything is going right. those moments when you laugh so hard your face hurts.

those are the times of life that are truly "rare finds".  i may not be able to capture it all with the lens of a camera, or the ink of a pen. but i get to remember them, and hold them close.