Photo A Day: Simplicity

I was digging through my purse for change last night and I came across this.

It’s a little glass heart that my son bought me while he was on a homeschool field trip with my husband. I don’t recall where exactly it came from – possibly the Museum of Science, or the Aquarium, maybe even Plimouth Plantation – but I do remember the look on his face when he presented it to me. It had been carefully wrapped up in paper and taped closed, and he was holding it like it was a precious gem. And when I unwrapped it, he grinned from ear to ear and announced, “It’s a heart, because I love you, Mom!” and gave me a big hug.

What better present could a mom ask for than that? It’s a tiny little token, nothing expensive or unusual. It probably cost less than a dollar, and there was probably a basket full of dozens of them. But it is special because it is so simple. It is a reminder that I have a heart, his heart, in my hands. It is my responsibility to guide that heart to be open and loving and generous and kind. And it is a reminder that my words and my actions can break that heart all too easily. But they can also build up that heart and give it character and strength. That tiny glass heart is powerful in its simplicity.

Simplicity.