Today, my husband and I took our grandsons to the park so their Mommy and Daddy could have a break (and my husband and I could enjoy the cutie-pies). It was a beautiful, sunny day with gorgeous blue sky, but very hot and dry, so we headed out in the mid to late afternoon, after the heat of the day.

As the kids rode their bikes in the residential area and we followed behind them, I thought of how it hasn’t rained here in Southern California much for the past two years. We are in the midst of a drought. Something so mundane as rain is so huge for us. While some of us (especially East Coasters like me) may have grown up taking rain for granted, we no longer do that.

These days we kind of have to ration our water. As dictated by the Department of Water and Power. Yep.

There’s a limit to how much water we can use to sprinkle on our grass. Also, we have to limit the length of our showers, and how often we run our electric dishwashers and washing machines. (think: full load before using).

No longer do we see a green lawn and get impressed. These days we look down upon people who have the gall to have a gorgeous green lawn (not so nice of us, but hey, we’re human).

When a little drizzle of rain happens here in LA, we get really excited, because we have so little water coming through rain these days. And it’s a big problem.

So a little thing – rain – has become a big thing to appreciate and long for.

As my husband and I were walking about a half block behind the kids and chatting, I thought of the simplicity and purity of this activity. Nothing fancy. A walk to the park. We had packed a few shovels for the sand, some balls, a mitt, and a big beach ball that needed to be blown up. And a few other playthings that they chose.

As simple and mundane as a trip to the park is, it’s such a necessary and joyful part of childhood. It’s huge.

From the choosing which things to take to the park to sharing what they did take, to waiting patiently at the end of each block, to staying within mine and my husband’s views, they practiced discipline.

When we got to the park, there was an ice cream truck and we bought them a colorful Ices cone. So much fun for them and refreshing in the heat.

They played ball with each other and took turns with the one mitt that they could find in the house. Cooperation. Fresh air. Exercise. Good old fashioned fun.

The kids giggled and laughed as they threw the ball back and forth, and I thought about how little kids need to make them happy. And as we walked home, there was a slight breeze, I thought of how we just pray for the little things to be good in our lives.

Some of these little things include ours and our children’s health, along with their good characters and happy dispositions.

As much as we can put in lots of effort to raise good kids, the ultimate result is not up to us. We have to hope and pray for the best.

And when we get that – pure, unadulterated, uncomplicated fun (and maybe even a little rain??), we are very….happy!

Let’s hope and pray that we learn to view the little things in our lives as big and important, and enjoy them all for the beauty they bring. Every drop of rain counts! We here in California should know!

What little things have meant a lot to you in your lives? Please share below something “small” that brings pleasure.