The Sidewalk...

Sometimes it's the little things, folks.  Our neighborhood is old, and thus, had no sidewalks.  Our street is relatively busy.  These two things don't mix well when you have little ones.  We are so blessed to live 8 doors down from our elementary school, which allows us to walk Mason every day to and from school and bypass the very long car pick-up line altogether.  The problem is, for three years the girls and I were forced to walk in the road with all the street traffic in addition to the school pick-up traffic.  It got hectic at times. We'd heard rumors over the past year that we were finally going to get a sidewalk leading to the school...information that made me feel like a little girl on Christmas morning. And finally, last Monday (the first day of school, no less) the construction men showed up at 7:30 tearing up curbs and driveways.  It's possible they could have picked a better time than the first day of school to begin construction on the road that runs directly in front of the school.  But hey, I'm not complaining...cause we've got a sidewalk now!

The above picture was taken in front of our house on Tuesday. 

By Friday we had this:

 There are three consecutive lots completed, and this is just enough length for the girls to go back and forth on their "wheels".  You can see the construction going on in the background.  They are about halfway down to the school at this point.  

The girls and I have spent some time outside in the mornings watching the crew work.  It's been so hot this week, and they work so hard, so we decided to share our popsicles with them.  I really wasn't sure if they'd accept our offer, but as soon as they saw us handing them out, they dropped their tools and came running.  A few even sat under the shade of our beautiful oak tree to enjoy them.  

There was even a news crew in front of the school one day this week, and as the "resident neighborhood walking mom" as one person called me, I was even interviewed by the reporter regarding our new sidewalks.  The kids even got to make a small appearance. 

Today I'm feeling very thankful for something that probably seems very insignificant to most--thankful that my children now have a safer place to ride their bikes, and thankful that we have a much safer route to get to and from school.  As I've been watching my kids play on this thing that is really nothing more than a long strip of concrete, with such excitement on their faces, I thank God for joy found in the little things, and I pray that I never take for granted even the smallest gifts from Him.