{I wrote this a year ago.  I am moved by the compassion within the human spirit — to care for another human being, to love, to “be of service” to others.  I see how we are WARRIORS — we do ordinary things with extraordinary love}.

Grapefruit.  I could’ve sobbed over my grapefruit the other morning.  Carefully cutting the outside circle of my grapefruit, I stopped.  The memory of my mother so lovingly and thoroughly cutting my grapefruit for me as a girl flooded my mind and heart.  Back then, I probably didn’t say, “thank you.”  Back then, I took it for granted that she put such extraordinary care into something so ordinary.  Back then, I’m embarrassed to admit, I never thought that it was any “big deal.”

Now, as a mom to two little ones, I get it.  The time, attention, care, focus, energy, and “groundedness in what is important” it took for my mom to cut my grapefruit and never even say anything about it – I know all too well now what a big deal that is!  To take the time, to put off showering or brushing teeth or fixing her own breakfast, to put attention into one thing instead of being a multi-tasking queen, to muster up the energy from a night of little sleep from a tending to a sick little one, to find balance in divvying up time with more than one child, to recognize in the moment “THIS. This is what matters” — THAT is extraordinary.

And I am humbled.  Grateful.  I want to go back in time and savor every little cut out triangle of grapefruit and hug my mom and kiss her and tell her she rocks and thank her for all the little every day ways she showed me extraordinary love.  Cutting my grapefruit.  Making my lunch (yes, even through high school).  Telling me to “take a mental health day.”  Braiding my hair.  Driving me (and team mates!) to and from soccer practice.  The list goes on.   Flashes of these memories flood my heart.  And I pick up my phone to call her.  She’s asleep.  My heart can’t wait to tell her “thank you.”

Ordinary things done with extraordinary love.

Before having my two little ones, I wanted to do extraordinary things in this world.  I had specific ideas about what that meant.  None of them involved cutting grapefruit.  But the other morning, I thought about how now it’s my turn to embody this legacy of loving with great tenderness and attention in the ordinary.  And I am quietly grateful as I go about my afternoon.  I cut an apple for my two little ones, peeling the skin carefully so my little C. can easily chomp away.

Friends, moms, dads, grandparents — gems of great love are found in the ordinary — the “everydayness” of our lives.  We show up for our dear ones each and every day.  We cut the grapefruit, we put the braids in our daughter’s hair, we take our kiddos to practice, we stay up late talking with our partner about the needs of our children, we get up early to go into another day of loving.  What would it be like if we all looked for opportunities to show extraordinary love in the ordinary?  I believe we’d transform our world.

Today, look for all the ways you show extraordinary love — and I’m talking the imperfect, messy ways we love.  We keep showing up, we keep tying our toddler’s shoes, we keep making those lunches, we keep trying to connect with our distant teenager, and we keep trying to keep our cool when we get super triggered.  We get out of bed and love.  THAT is extraordinary.  Notice all the ways YOU are extraordinary.

And then also remember — you deserve to rest!  You ARE ENOUGH and you are doing enough!  Part of loving our dear ones is loving ourselves.  You are extraordinary.  Show yourself some extraordinary love by caring for YOU!