Tuesdays Unwrapped: Brothers & Oatmeal

I love what Emily is doing on Tuesdays. Seeing as how her blog is all about "reflection and discovery in the midst of the mundane," Tuesdays Unwrapped fits right in.

I'm a glass-is-half-empty kind of girl. I wish I wasn't. I'm working on it. But too often my focus is on all that I wish was different. In any given moment, I'm brooding about all sorts of dissatisfactions and displeasures. 

Finding the miracle amid the mayhem is like swapping out the cloudy lens through which I view life. It changes everything and I finally see clearly.

I mourn the precious vignettes that I never noticed or documented. And I'm hoping that some Tuesdays here and there will be a step in the right direction.

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My moment came yesterday morning. Five-year-old Brownie was the first one up. He is always bright and chatty and happy upon waking. And hungry.

As I groggily prepared his microwaveable oatmeal, I heard Cupcake...also hungry.

Balancing baby on hip and bowl in hand, I slid the oatmeal to Brownie. Cupcake nearly leapt out of my arms so I set him down, not knowing what I would feed this finicky and feisty toddler.

Cupcake sidled right up to big brother, who eagerly and cheerfully fed him from his own bowl of oatmeal. And after they shared that bowl together, I fixed them another...and another.

Three bowls of oatmeal and one giant helping of unprompted generosity later, I soaked it all in. And sighed. 

I'm thankful for a big brother who gives sacrificially to his little brother. I'm thankful for all the moments of togetherness and the tender familial bonds that living life with one another creates. 

For in the midst of squabbles and annoyance and craziness, there is tenderness and love. 

And I got to watch it all unfold over a bowl of oatmeal.

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Now head on over to see what others have unwrapped today...