My mom always wrote me little notes. It could have been “I love you” in marker on my napkin in my school lunch, or a $0.99 Hallmark card in my bag before a track meet. She never stopped taking moments to remind me not only how much she loved me, but also what she saw in me.

I don’t remember when my mom gave me this note… I do know I found it after she died and it was a moment I needed comfort that only a mom could provide. As I opened a book, the note dropped into my lap. A simple note from her reminded me that her love for me did not stop when she died. I have carried this little note around for 25 years now. And by carried around, I mean in some amazing way, I have kept track of this note with moving into at least 13 different dorms, apartments, and houses across two states. Every time I have come across the note in a random box, I am comforted in a way I can’t explain.

The last few years I have wondered why I have not taken the time to ensure the note is framed, or at least put somewhere safe. After all these years, it is thin and honestly a miracle I have not lost it (or Minnie eat it).

Since meeting Matthew and us having Keaton, it has been ever clearly to me how the little things that happen everyday are what really makes life so rich. When I think of Matthew, it is not the grand jesters that come to mind, it is the things he does that no one else will ever see or even care to see are what touches my soul.

While I LOVE our Disney adventures and they provide so many memories, the planned out, matching t-shirts and nice dinners are not the memories that fill the most space in my head. It is laughing until we are crying together, it is the little moments of dancing in our kitchen, or the times Keaton wants one more hug at night. These moments aren’t worthy of a social media post and they will never go viral, but these moments are the magical part of life.

I decided it was time to frame the note from my mom. After I told Matthew and Keaton for the 100th time, the note was the most important thing I have from my mom, I decided I needed to make sure I kept it safe… since there will never be a new one.

Realizing how much this note means to me, encourages me to remember to take the extra minute it takes to write a note on a napkin, and extra kiss before Matthew leaves, or at the end of the day appreciate the goodness that is around me each day.