Unexpected Joy and Plastic Eggs...Life is Good.

I just found myself in one of those rare life moments when I was overwhelmed with happiness. Sheer joy. Did I win the lottery? No. Did I open the front door to find my sister on a surprise visit from Florida? No. Did American Idol host Nicki Minaj finally get her roots done? No.

Instead, I found myself standing in the living room in my old terrycloth robe holding a jumble of men's shoes, a flyswatter and a race car watching my two boys giggling and laughing as they searched for the Easter eggs that my oldest Daniel had hidden for his brother. Clad in a t-shirt and running pants with a crocheted elephant hat on his head, my youngest Jacob took to the hill in our backyard with the might of a mountain climber on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition. An Easter basket shaped like a basketball draped over his forearm, the excitement in his eyes was heartwarming. As was the joy with which his older brother encouraged him along, dropping hints to help him find the big purple one stuffed with a Hot Wheels car or the grand prize-- the gold egg that lay perched on the front windshield of my car.

You see, this week has been trying to say the least. Job stress, some behavior issues with Daniel at school, Keith traveling and me single-handedly keeping the Kleenex Corporation afloat with a yucky head cold, I awoke this morning with a sore throat and a foggy brain. But as I was picking up around the house, I caught a glimpse of the boys playing together and genuinely trying to make each other happy. Words can't explain what that did for this weary Mama's soul.

Sometimes, it's the little things that bring the greatest joys. Sometimes it's the unexpected rays of sunshine that pour in through a window at just the right time. And sometimes, it's the laughter and giggles of two sandy-haired boys--one in a yarn hat, the other smiling proudly at the fun he had created--that makes life so sweet. It didn't take a trip to Disneyworld or even Chuck E. Cheese for that matter to generate those smiles. It didn't even take me telling them to go play outside or to be nice to each other. This moment was a gift... a slice of brotherhood in which there was no arguing or fighting. Just two kids thankful to have each other on an otherwise dreary Saturday morning.

Unexpected joy. Doesn't get much better than that.