The Little Purple Flower

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

Henri Matisse

Squint. Can you see it?

I didn't, but Toddler did. We were walking home. Predictably, I was in a bit of a daze. That's pretty par for the course these days. Toddler? She skipped along, ahead of me, looking around. And she stopped, bent forward, peered through that rusting fence. And pointed.

Mommy, look! she said. Look at the little purple flower!

I did as told. I looked. And there it was. The little purple flower. I would never have seen it if not for this little girl. My little girl.

What's interesting, and maybe disconcerting, is that I did notice the fence. I also noticed the speckled patch of soil. I also saw the trash strewn about. But my eyes did not focus on that lone pop of purple, that regal spurt of life. That little flower, alone and lovely? I missed it entirely.

But I didn't miss it. Because she was there with me. Eager. Alive. Aware. Vision keen. Mind open. Joy profound. With this creature by my side, I saw it. And captured it.

There is a lesson here, isn't there? That if we look hard enough, if we allow ourselves to, if we come at the world with child-like eyes, we might see them. The bursts of beauty in our days. The tiny flowers in our soils and souls.

Thank you, sweet girl, for seeing.

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Are there things you do not see? Are there people in your life who help you notice things you'd otherwise miss?