My grandkids have become face-diving-pillow-experts. They’ve been trained to hide their eyes from things on TV that aren’t good for little eyes . . . or big eyes for that matter. 

Most of the time this comes when ads enter the family room without any manners—loud and in your face.

Things scary, vile, steamy. All things icky.

Pillows are in big demand when we’re all watching together and I’m usually right there with them. 

Some things are just better left unseen.

It’s a worthwhile practice to shield our eyes from things that get us thinking down some garbagey path.

Where our eyes go, our hearts will follow. 

But may I—soapbox, please—implore any of you with two eyes to . . . 

LOOK UP!

(I know . . . it sounds like I’ve totally pivoted from my last my train of thought. Stick with me.) 

I noticed a blazing sunset the other night. I would have missed it if I hadn’t taken a moment to look up from my keyboard and out the window. I’m sure I’ve missed many sky performances but this one I captured. 

I went outside to get a better look.

When I stepped out, a kid rode by on his bike. His eyes down. His phone in hand. I wondered how he’d maneuver around the corner ahead. No problem. He pedaled right around. Without looking. No big deal. He probably didn’t miss a tick of time going wherever he was going. 

But he did miss something.

Maybe it was what he needed that day—something to reset his mind, breathe, maybe even connect with the Creator of that blazing sky.

Maybe not. But maybe so.

(By the way, have you heard of tech neck ? It’s real. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you’re not careful it happens, and not just to teens!)

I’m not saying that everything star-gazing-amazing can change your life, but I am saying that we miss an awful lot when we’re looking down . . . especially on our devices. Guilty.

It’s everywhere. Isn’t it?

And where our eyes go, whether we think so or not, our kids notice. Here’s evidence if you think I’m overreacting.

The great thing about looking up is that you don’t have to plan for it. Some of my best looking up experiences happen in the most mundane moments. 

And they’re often right out my window.

Small moments of looking up may add up to a bucketful of what I’m after—beauty, joy, even hope. Moments that help me through some of the harder spaces of my everyday.

To make my point, I decided to document some of my looking-ups as I took my walk the other day.

I pinky promise I only used my phone for evidence of what I was after . . . small moments of beauty, joy, and hope.

And guess what? I found them.

Here’s a small sample . . . .

Oh . . . the 5 hellos and 3 waves along the way were especially filling! 🙂

Enjoy looking up with your littles. You both may just find a little something you need.

I’m going to keep the pillows for the icky . . .

and LOOK UP for things too good to miss.

Here are a few good-lookin’ books to help . . .

AND . . . just when I thought I was finished with this post . . . Honestly, I could NOT have planned this . . .

“Look up there, Grammy!”

“Where?” 

“Right there?” She guided my eyes to a nest on the top of one of the towering lights over the football field last night. Instead of watching her brother in the game, her eyes were on the sky.

“Wow! You think that’s an eagle’s nest?”

“No. It’s not. The bird doesn’t look like an eagle. I’ve been watching. Keep looking up. You’ll see. “

I think she’s better at this than I am. 🙂

LOOK UP!