Have you had any of those moments recently when you suddenly just smiled and thought, “Life is beautiful”? I feel like the last several days have been full of these moments, and I thought I’d share them with you.

Here is what I have seen most recently:

Pre-school children running and greeting each other with hugs.

A school bus driver giving a mentally and physically disabled adult a welcome back embrace.

Friends – some of whom have never met face-to-face – giving a waiting, adoptive mother-to-be a necklace engraved with the name of her future daughter.

A child with a stutter proudly given the role of narrator in a play.

A child with stage fright make it through a read-through of her story in front of a microphone and a theater full of her peers and adults.

A mother patiently waiting while her toddler stopped to explore everything from building door to car door.

A five-year old express pure joy in celebrating others’ happiness.

Four Canada Geese leading their whole “gaggle” of young geese across the road and cars patiently waiting for them.

A post-it note chain of messages among family members on top of a dishwasher door.

Maybe when you look at some of the things on my list, they don’t strike the same chord… but I bet you know the kinds of things I’m talking about. You know beauty when you see it.

What little things have you seen recently that have made you smile?

(How about a flash mob of Peer Gynt on a train?)