A cool Sunday at the bustling marketplace, my daughter had asked us to stop so we could listen to the lady with the beautiful voice sing. She amazes me, often noticing the beauty that is all around us, and taking the time to really drink it in. I have always thought our children are sent to us to teach us something, and our little one is a great teacher.

We stopped in a sunny corner to enjoy the warmth of the sun while we listened to the sweet music, the three of us each drifting away into our own worlds. I stood watching my son turn his face up to the sun, soaking in the rays, and my daughter, allowing the music to do its thing within her, moving to it, humming along, smiling at the lady who was connecting with her within the energy of the song. I was in awe of each of them, as I often am. Noticing them, their similarities, the differences, the things that make them them.

I noticed a Greek grandma wander past us, smiling as she did. I noticed her smile, and the way she was so elegantly dressed in my favourite shades of purple. She walked on, stopped and returned to us.

“Is this your daughter?” she asked.

“Yes, she is” I proudly replied.

“She is so beautiful, just like a doll. If she wasn’t moving I would have thought she was a doll….oh, and is this handsome young man your son?”

“Yes, he is” I say with a wide smile.

“Beautiful, beautiful” she muttered as she wandered off.

I agree with her wholeheartedly, but that’s a mother’s job isn’t it? To know that her children are beautiful? Of course, I think they are beautiful. Obviously I am aware that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What struck me though was her seeing the beauty of the kids in that moment. There was something more than their physical appearance that was shining out of both of them right then that both of us were seeing.

And it felt wonderful to watch my children in that moment, and to see someone else seeing that special sparkle shine too.

What a simple way to make someone feel seen, noticed, connected. By simply being in the moment, taking in your surrounds, and with a few small words, that lady and I connected in something that many others wandered past without seeing.

What a beautiful lesson that lady gave me today.

A beautiful lesson that I will pay forward as often as I can. Will you join me in noticing, appreciating and connecting with others over the everyday beauty that surrounds us in our every day?

I hope so.