Last week Hijo rediscovered a number of stickers he’d forgotten about. He awarded me one. A thick puffy one of a buffalo. At the time I was wearing my yellow hoodie I reserve for chilly evenings. He proudly attached it to my chest, and I carried on with my night. Last night I felt chilly so I put on the hoodie. When I went in the bathroom to brush my teeth, I surprisingly rediscovered the sticker on my hoodie. It brought just a little bit of unexpected joy into the day. And helped me remember life seems sweeter when I take a moment to recognize and appreciate small surprises.

Surprises seem especially prevalent in the Spring. I’ll drive down the road and find a bundle of tulips growing at the edge of someone’s yard. They hold no purpose. They won’t last long. Honestly, I doubt I’ll ever find myself buying bulbs to plant in my yard. Yet I really appreciate them when I see them and the surprise they bring as I drive by.

I’m starting to learn to recognize these type of small surprises more and more. I think of them as small gifts from God. Tiny moments of joy in my day. Maybe they hold little, or even no, purpose. Yet they change me. Even just a tiny bit.

So I’m choosing to look for these surprises more and more. I’m even working on awareness to bring such surprises to others. Perhaps it’s sharing a moment of viewing tulips with Esposa. Or smailing and appreciating as Hijo awards me with a puffy buffalo sticker. But taking a moment to appreciate and enjoy together unites us. It brings joy and levity to my day. And points me to the Great Redeemer who surprises me every day in his own small ways.