Seeing Things Mom's Way

My sister Michelle posted this sentiment and photo on Facebook today:

There's something so special about my mother's kitchen sink. As much as I despised doing dishes as a kid, I love doing them for her now. Besides, today is her birthday, and growing up, we never had to do dishes on our birthday. You may see clutter. I see representations of her smile and the joy that she gets from the little things in life. #grandmaskitchen #knickknacks #memories #childhoodmemories

I smile at Michelle's observation, though these very knick-knacks recently impacted me recently when I cleaned Mom's windows and had to remove a great many of them in order to get to the windows themselves. Every single window had a plant (hanging, or in a pot on the sill), a sun catcher, an angel of some kind, a framed something-or-other, or all of the above. 

We don't even try to talk Mom into getting rid of her little treasures; she knows where each one goes and can usually tell you where she got it.

Some might ask how Mom is able to see out her windows, but I don't think she cares; I think she's content to simply enjoy what's right in front of her. She couldn't be happier in her space. Like Michelle said, some see clutter. Others see joy that comes from simple pleasures. 

Doing dishes, cleaning windows...at Mom's you'll do them with a smile; and knowing her, that's probably not an accident.