Make the Ordinary Come Alive

Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is a way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life.

Show them the joy of tasting

tomatoes, apples, and pears.

Show them how to cry 

when pets and people die.

Show them the infinite pleasure

in the touch of a hand.

And make the ordinary come alive for them.

The extraordinary will take care of itself. 

~William Martin

I love this poem.

We live a simple life, seeking the joy in each day, in the small, but beautiful moments. I only hope that my our children spend their lives looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary, as there is love and wonderment all around us, after all.