When You Say 'thank You,' Mean It by Mary O'Donohue

Author:Mary O'Donohue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2010-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Month Seven

A SENSE OF JOY

Celebrating life!

If you’re like me, there are probably many things you wish for your children, but a few are universal — that they will be safe and healthy and that these beautiful children whom you love indescribably will have happy lives. Their happiness means everything and their joy becomes an extension of your own. It elevates you and fills your life.

I remember when my son was just a few months old, and a friend asked me what it felt like to be a mom.

“I used to breathe air and now I breathe joy,” was my response. It may sound hokey, but that’s how it felt to me. Everything had changed.

We parents can get a promotion at work, be elected PTA president in a landslide, and lose ten pounds, and that feels pretty darn great. But when your daughter tells you that playing hopscotch with you made that day the best day she’s ever had, or your little boy laughs uncontrollably over your attempt to play a video game with him, you’re over the moon. Because you’re a parent, and there’s something magical about seeing your child truly happy that trumps all that other stuff. Yeah, even the ten pounds. So take a month to focus on this sublime value with your children, and don’t stop there. Hold on to the lessons and memories of this month always. Value happiness and your children will learn to value it too.

The Joy of Pennies

When my son was two and a half years old, he taught me a lesson about joy I will never forget. It was an absolutely beautiful autumn morning and the two of us set off to pick out a pumpkin at a local garden center. There were so many things there to grab the attention of a curious toddler — scarecrows, bales of hay, corn stalks, and of course, rows and rows of pumpkins. But the thing that caught Connor’s eye was a large water fountain in the center of it all. He was watching as another little boy and his dad tossed a few coins into the water. He asked me why they were throwing their money away.

“They’re making wishes,” I explained. “Each time they throw in a coin, they make a wish.”

My son was fascinated. “Do you have any coins, Mommy?” he asked, looking hopeful.

I looked in my coin purse and I had several pennies, so I grabbed a handful of them and handed one to Connor. I explained to him that each penny could grant him a wish. He couldn’t wait to get started. He was moving back and forth from one foot to the other like toddlers do when they’re about to burst with excitement. So I quickly showed him how to stand with his back to the fountain so he could make his wish and then throw the penny over his shoulder into the water. He looked down at the penny in his hand, made his wish, and then carefully tossed the coin over his shoulder, delighted when he heard a small splash as it hit the water.

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