Art Appreciation

Today's blessing may not be a blessing to most people.  I went up to our school room after a long day, with a lot on my mind.  There's just been a lot going on recently, with a lot of details and decisions that can't be ignored.  My brain is a bit tired at the moment, and I'll admit, the idea of prepping our schoolwork for tomorrow didn't really appeal to me at all.

I walked into the schoolroom - with pretty much nonexistent motivation - and discovered a mess.  A huge mess.  It seems that Rascal #1 had managed to get into our art supplies and had created a little masterpiece.   This wouldn't normally be a problem.....except that Rascal #1 is the one who cannot seem to remember to ever clean up after himself.  You'd think that, being the oldest and all, he'd remember not to leave his crayons and markers where the youngest can find them, but......it doesn't usually work that way.   He's the messiest of all three of them, pretty much consistently.

So, I found all of the leftover art supplies that Rascal #1 had left piled on his desk.....and the art project that Rascal #3 had been working on with #1's forgotten art supplies.  Sigh.  I started working on cleaning it all up, kind of grumpily (after all, I really wanted to just be heading to bed!).   I didn't want a mess to start our school day in the morning, so it had to be done, and considering all three rascals were already tucked into bed....it was going to have to be done by me.   

As I sat there and cleaned, not too willingly, I started to recognize as that annoying as it was....this mess was a blessing.   I was blessed by little boys who loved to create and who find joy in the very simple task of colouring.  I'm blessed with three little boys who LOVE art and the process of creating artwork.   I'm blessed by boxes of that artwork - almost every day at least one of them gives me something that they've made, or designed, or coloured specifically for me.  I'm given tangible manifestations of their unconditional love for me on a daily basis.

So.....let them make a mess.  I'll clean it up.  A blessing isn't always neat and tidy, anyways.  ;-)