Like airplanes leave line-shaped clouds trailing after themselves in the sky, small moments follow the big moments. Contrails are vapor and our days are, too. We can’t stop time or even slow it down, but we can notice and give thanks. And when we do, we’ll live in a wake of gratitude.

Here are a few small moments I’ve noticed this week paired with a quick prayer of thanks for the bigger moment it represents.

I’d love to hear any that you notice in your day, too!

A tiny bathing suit draped over the railing of our deck (thank you, God, for summer, for pool days, for my family)

A box of leftovers in the fridge (thank you, God, for eight years of marriage and a night out to celebrate who we are and how you’ve changed us)

A pile of empty Kroger bags (thank you, God, for access to fresh groceries and also for the blessed teenagers who pick out the items I order on an app so I don’t have to go inside)

Pebbles piled on the arm of a plastic chair (thank you, God, for playdates, for the minds of toddlers, imaginary play, and also thank you that they didn’t eat said pebbles)

The line where red meets white on my shoulder (thank you, God, for sunshine, even when I am too irresponsible to protect my skin from it)

The specks of pollen on our table (thank you, God, for flowers and for the intricacies of everything you’ve created)

Sticky hands from melted fruit juice (thank you, God, for popsicles, for sugar, and will you help me have the heart of a child)

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Ordinary Inspiration”.