Such a simple question can tell you so much!

Last year Diane Sawyer did an interview with a very inspiring man Randy Pausch. Randy is the man made famous by his 'Last Lecture' that took YouTube by storm. If you haven't watched this video I highly suggest you do; Randy's perspective on life was very refreshing. I guarantee you will come away from that 'lecture' with a new appreciation for the life you have.

Anyway, one of the things that grabbed my attention in his interview with Diane Sawyer was a ritual he had with his kids. As he tucked them in bed at night he would ask them just one question, "What was the favorite part of your day today?" The answer might be silly, original, or typical, or the answer might be one that blows you away. The point is, you will never know until you ask.

After watching that interview I made a point to start asking Ella every night this very question. Although we spend nearly all our time together, I would still have many days where I felt like we never connected throughout the day. This was my 'connecting' time. As with alot of things, I slip in my habits and started forgetting to ask this question.

Last night, Randy and his question popped into my head. We had a very active day yesterday, playing outside in this wonderful weather with Ella's best friend all day long. I asked Ella this question last night thinking I would get the typical, "My favorite part was playing at the park with Taylor all day!" And, of course she did say this. But, then she said her other favorite part was climbing up in that big chair all by herself to eat lunch (big chair=bar stool). She said, "It was pretty scary, but I did it!" She was beaming with pride. She had never sat in one of those chairs before so I guess that really was a very important thing in her own mind.

God gives us such a gift by giving us children! While adults can slip into mundane habits and start to take little things for granted, kids have such a different, refreshing prospective on everything. Each day is a gift in their eyes. Each day is filled with learning, and they are constantly filled with enthusiasm.

While I know the answer Ella gave is not life altering, I did realize there are many times we go through our day thinking we know exactly what the other person is thinking. But, do we really? Maybe we should all start asking each other this simple question everyday. I think it could be a big relationship builder!