The road to Friday is sometimes bumpy. We arrive at Thursday evening, weary and reeling. This first full week  of post-holiday reality was wrapped in a few extra layers as we endured a deep freeze.  My path toward Friday was littered with sibling conflict, an unwelcome visitor (the flu) and a looming deadline for a writing project that I’d procrastinated.

So I used all of those things as an excuse not to see the blessings that were right in front of me. My stinky attitude and sense of entitlement led me down a path that wasn’t pretty. Every time I’m deep in the forest of selfish, prideful behavior and treating the blessings in my life like inconvenient interruptions, I vow that next time will be different.

Next time I will watch my tone of voice. See my children for who they are, not what I’m trying to make them be.

On three separate occasions this week, I had an opportunity to see this:

I’ve read Rachel Macy Stafford’s viral post about how to miss a childhood. Shared it, pinned it, liked it. Then promptly ignored it. But this week I saw a brief article in Good Housekeeping about her new book while I was at the gym.

Then I saw the cover popping up on various social media sites throughout the week.

Every time I got that feeling. You know the one. The sense deep in your gut that it’s time to pay attention.

To see what in the world God is trying to teach you.

Before the blessings are grown up and gone, and I’m left in my clean, quiet house still clutching my to-do list.

Today I’m linking up with Lisa Jo Baker and a fabulous community of writers for Five Minute Friday. We write, we post, we share a little love in the comments. Come see what we’re up to, won’t you?