Random surprises and many reasons to smile

My three-year-old walked inside the other day holding a bouquet of mylar balloons. "It's a birthday!" she exclaimed. 

"Cate, where did you get those?" I asked.

"The mailbox!" she said. 

I ran outside, fearing that she'd stolen them from a neighbor's house. I spotted my boys coming up the sidewalk. "Where did Cate get those balloons?"

"What balloons?" they replied, clueless. 

Finally, our next door neighbor eased my panic, explaining that a lady who lives across the street had given them away. Her son had taken a few and Cate got the rest. Relieved, I went back inside. I could now appreciate the delighted grin on Cate's face. Those were her balloons now, to play with and to keep. To her, every day is a birthday. She sings to us all the time. 

Now, the balloon bouquet decorates my kitchen ceiling. 

And giant number 9 from my oldest son's recent birthday takes up a spot nearby. 

I look down on the kitchen floor, and there's a patch of happy face stickers.

Around the corner in the family room, there's another collection of smiles stuck to the coffee table. Each time I squat down to peel them up, I stop. Because... happy faces. They look back at me with goofy grins. It's like they want to stay stuck there for a little while longer. 

Or maybe it's me. There's a reason I let them stay. There's a reason I let balloons dance on the ceiling for as long as they can float. 

My children are my teachers. And even though they won't be little forever, I suspect that they'll always challenge me to open my mind and my eyes and see things in a new way.