Purple Nails & Jambalaya

Last night my two year old niece slept over.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she started crying, so I put her in bed next to me. When I woke up, she was cuddled against me. It was one of those moments that makes you pause. The kind that feels too simple to describe but still manages to fill your chest.

This morning all she could talk about was wanting her nails painted.

Lucky for her, her uncle also enjoys a good nail color collection. She picked purple, my favorite shade, actually. Which means she has exquisite taste already. I braced myself for chaos, but she surprised me. She sat perfectly still, waited for them to dry, and then strutted around the house proudly showing off her fabulous nails. I didn’t expect painting a two year old’s nails to feel this heartwarming, but it did.

After a stressful and sad few days, it was exactly what I needed… a reminder of the joy that still exists in small moments, in soft mornings, in little hands that trust yours.

After my wife dropped her back off at home, she texted to say she was stopping at the store to pick up ingredients for jambalaya. That’s how I found out she was making it. A simple act of care for my cousins and uncle after everything they’ve been going through. She’d reached out last night to see if they needed anything and decided that a home cooked meal was something she could offer. That’s one of the many reasons I love her. The way she gives without hesitation.

Today started with warmth, love, tiny giggles and a reminder of how small things can make a heart melt and spirits rise.

Author’s Note:

After the heaviness of the past few days, I didn’t expect something so ordinary to bring me back to myself. But it did. Sometimes love is just purple nails and jambalaya.