Small Things

Do you ever wonder if you can make a difference in the world…from your small corner of the world?

Do you ever find yourself looking expectantly toward the next “Big Thing,” only to be disappointed?

Do you ever question what this moment, this day, these few hours are really here for?

If I were to ask myself these questions, of course I’d answer “Yes” to all of them. There are times when I get caught up in wanting something bigger and better for myself; sometimes I even get depressed wondering if what I’m doing as a wife or a parent or a woman or a Christian or a person is making a difference; at times, I can get caught up in the routine “day-to-day” rushing around that I wonder if I’m “missing” something.

Don’t you think we all feel that way at times?

That’s when I remind myself that, sure, life is about the big things. You know…birth, love, marriage, tragedies, great events, even death. But…the trick is to realize that the BIG things are made up of a lifetime of small moments.

And it’s these SMALL moments that we often go by too fast to notice. It’s these SMALL decisions that we overlook for their importance.

I recently happened upon three quotes that I just fell in love with. They inspired me to think about the small details in life…the small kindnesses we can share…the small moments that pass by way too quickly.

I thought I’d share them with you…

Harriet Beecher Stowe said,
“To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization.”

Anne Frank (think about that for a minute), said this:
“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway... And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!”

And the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said this (and boy, do I love it!),
“The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—the little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment.”

I am trying to more consciously be aware of the small details in my life that can make all the difference.

Things like the right word shared; the silly moment enjoyed; the hug given.

And I’m trying to be thankful for the small joys I have everyday.

Things like those I noticed this past weekend…

… popcorn and a movie
… a meaningful conversation with a daughter
… a happy sing-along to 80s music
… a mood-lifting conversation with a toddler
… redbirds in the backyard
… warm-from-the-oven brownies
… a husband’s hand on my shoulder at church

This week, I’m taking notice of those sorts of things everyday in a conscious way.

I’m also going to do my best to be “heroic” in small moments…so that I might make a difference to someone.

Yes, I want to leave a BIG mark when it’s all said and done. But I also want to be in the SMALL gestures and acts . . . because I really think that’s what is often noticed the most.