joy in the sounds

I'm working hard on finding joy in every sound. Which also means I'm trying to have more, show more, and share more love at home.

Can I be the first to admit how stumped I am by the responsibilities and expectations I have as a parent? I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. It's an admission that is not easy for me to reveal, but I'd like to think I'm not alone. We're all learning as we go along, aren't we?

With every phase my daughter hits I'm beginning to realize that I, too, hit a phase. Usually my phase is something like Why doesn't she get it? or What am I doing wrong? or I give up! Luckily for me (and my daughter and everyone around us) my parental phases don't last as long as her growing-up phases. It helps when I take a step back and tell myself, "She's only been on this earth for two and a half years. Give her time and give her love." I think my personal motto is take a step back. It always makes a difference and works in every situation.

Right now we're dealing with the whiny phase. Therein lies the trouble with finding joy in every sound. But for every whine from her and every dramatic cry from me and every exhausted sigh from my husband, there are a million joyous sounds to be heard. Of course there's laughter and "I love you" and songs sung at bedtime each night. But there is also the kind voice on the other end of a phone call, the utensils clinking and clanking as we eat dinner as a family, the camera capturing a happy moment, the TV being turned off and toys coming out of their closet. My current favorite might be the sound of the dishwasher going and the washing machine going and the vacuum going, all signaling that my work is almost done, that I've been productive and now I get to spend time with my girl.

Yes, there is joy in every sound when there's love at home. But I'm learning that when there's love at home, you also have an easier time finding joy in the sounds.