I had forgotten how magical it is to watch someone’s face when inspiration hits them! You can see their feelings of joy and accomplishment bloom. I was reminded of this recently as I watched my youngest grandchild solve a problem.

She’s a very petite and tenacious five-year-old. She was helping set out the Christmas decorations and had become engrossed in the study of a 3-D Christmas card hanging in the hallway. It was a fun scene of Santa taking a vacation on the beach. Being about a foot too short to see it well, she kept stretching and twisting trying to take it all in. She asked a lot of questions about the scene. I was not close to her as I was sitting on the floor putting together some decorations I had added to my collection, and apparently, I was not answering her questions as well as she would have liked.

Suddenly, she got quiet (Parents – you know this warning sign…) so I watched her to see what she was up to and the wheels were definitely turning. And then I saw it. The moment of inspiration as it spread across her little face. Her eyes brightened; her smile huge. She started humming as she literally skipped to the kitchen and moments later, came back with a stepstool. She promptly sat it on the floor right in front of the Christmas card, stepped up on it, and she was beaming with pride that she had solved her problem without help from anyone. She then proceeded to confidently describe to me all the details of the card that she could now see and touch and which made her feel a part of the decorating activities.

It's a kind of magic when you have this feeling of inspiration, big or small. Inspiration instills energy and confidence. You walk a little taller. You believe in yourself and your plan. Inspiration motivates you to see it through to success, and you end your day with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Everything just feels better… and isn’t that magical.

Contributed by Melody Lowe