A Row of Swans

Little Man and I attempted to stay at church this morning, but it didn’t quite go as planned. Our life group, along with three others, had been assigned to meet at the home of one of the church elders, which was a nice change of setting. However, from the moment Little Man woke up, I could tell it was going to be one of those days. He was visibly tired, cranky, and not in the best of moods.

Things quickly escalated once we arrived at church. He had his heart set on playing with a specific toy, but unfortunately, another child was already using it. That was all it took for a full-blown tantrum to erupt. No amount of distraction or redirection worked—he was completely fixated on the toy he couldn’t have. I tried to soothe him, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to settle down anytime soon. Eventually, I had no choice but to put him into his pushchair and head home. Thankfully, the walk back was only about fifteen minutes, though it felt much longer with his ongoing grumpiness. The rest of the afternoon didn’t go much better—his bad mood lingered, making the day feel a little more exhausting than usual.

Later in the day, we popped out to post some birthday cards for my sister. It was just a quick errand, but unfortunately, it turned into another small misadventure. At some point during our walk, Little Man managed to lose a piece of one of his toys. It wasn’t until we were almost home that he realized it was missing, and by then, retracing our steps was the only option. We went back along the same path, searching carefully, but no luck—the missing piece was nowhere to be found. It’s disappointing because that toy has been one of his absolute favorites. For now, I’ve hidden the rest of it, just in case the missing part somehow turns up. If not, I may have to start looking into a replacement.

Despite the challenges of the day, there was at least one small moment of wonder. As we were walking home from church, I happened to spot a row of swans moving gracefully across the icy water. What caught my attention was how the first swan was working hard to break through the ice, creating a clear path for the others to follow. It was such a simple yet fascinating display of nature, and it made me pause for a moment. Animals have such an incredible way of adapting and working together.