Luke 16:10 – Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 

Gratitude Day 846

I must officially be old because I keep thinking of those sayings that my grandmothers used to say.

This is one that keeps floating through my mind these days: Remember that the little things are the big things.

It began when the very first zinnia bloomed by the front of our house. For years, I have planted a hedge of zinnias because I absolutely LOVE them. I love their colors, their different sizes. How they continue to bloom until it freezes once their first blossoms burst forth.

This summer, we are in a different house. I did not have a natural place to plant a whole hedge of zinnias. So, I opted for a small patch of them very close to our front door. I had a few packets of seed from previous years. I basically just dumped them all in the ground and covered them with a bit of soil and some mulch.

And waited.

But then it didn’t rain for about six weeks. Our yard dried up. Rick kept our little garden at the farm going with watering. I had planted a few new perennials and put some annuals in pots in various places around the house. Every morning, I diligently walked about buckets of water to keep them looking nice.

Yet, the zinnias did not come up. One day, I had some water left over from water the pots and dumped it over the zinnia seeds. The next few days, I made sure I had a little extra water which I covered over the ground with the zinnia seeds. Pretty soon, little tiny shoots of green crawled out between the mulch. I kept watering and the shoots kept growing.

Then one day, little fat, round flower buds appeared at the end of the shoots. Flowers were coming. I just had to wait.

And then one day this week, a pretty, soft pink zinnia burst on the scene. My heart was instantly happy. A small thing that became a big thing.

There are so many of these small things in our lives. But do we pause long enough to realize they ARE the big things?

Dinner and dessert with dear friends who delivered this gorgeous housewarming gift. It’s terribly beautiful. Seriously.

Our baseball grandson asked Grandpa Rick if he and I were planning to attend his special game in Milwaukee this week. It wasn’t quite in American Family park where the Milwaukee Brewers play. Instead, their team played in a small field in the parking lot. In the concrete, we found the original home plate for County Stadium where the Brewers used to play before a new stadium was built a couple decades ago. Yes, we did attend. And yes, Dylan’s team won 23-3. It was a very warm day but parents and grandparents sat in the shade and cheered our team on. We went wild when one of the boys from our team hit a home run out of the scaled-down field. And yes, the hitter’s mom ran out into the parking lot so she could save this special ball for her son.

Working in the Farm Bureau Food stand at a county fair last night with two of my college roommates and our spouses. We kept the people fed until a tornado warning and thunderstorm shut us down for the night. We rode the storm out in the old wooden building where earlier we were making burgers, grilled cheese, walking tacos and hot dogs or chili dogs.

It’s these little things that make one realize that all the money in the world is not nearly as important as the smile that comes when a grandson sends a “thank you” message for helping him with his cattle at his county fair. Or having dinner with a group of friends and them being gracious when you don’t have the next chapter of the book fully written for them to review and give suggestions. The company and conversation is pretty important as well, they assure you.

When the days feel a bit full and it is easy to get distracted by the long to-do list you have written down or on a piece of paper, we simply need a brief but all-important reminder that these little things will always be more significant in our lives than what kind of car we drove or if last summer’s shorts fit or not.

We live a society that loves to compare. Who seems to have his or her life more together. Whose photos on social media create more envy. Who is the one person you wished your life looked like.

Truth? We all have parts of our lives that are less-than-glamourous. That we aren’t sure we want anyone else to really know. Days we feel are too full. Times when it feels like nothing gets done and the to-do list just gets bigger and bigger.

But maybe, just maybe, extra time in conversation with someone really WAS the most important thing for you to that day. Or the quiet minutes you spend in the morning ARE what helps sustain you in the morning. Possibly a few minutes of self-care are necessary to restore your soul for tomorrow.

All of these little things ARE the things. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. And when we remember this, then everything else is placed in its rightful spot.

Yes, some of us do need to work. There will always be more things to do today than what we possibly can get done. We will make mistakes and goof up and get caught up in the wrong things.

There will be days when we are too focused on how we are living and we fail to remember that we only have one life.

Slow down for a minute or three. Scroll back through the pictures on your phone and see all those little things that were the big things in your last few weeks. Take a peek at the events on your calendar from the month of July and appreciate those little moments that made you smile. These are the little things that have become your big things.

In a recent conversation with someone, I was asked what “big” things we’ve done this summer. Big things? Almost none. Our bikes have not been on a spin yet this summer. Our kayaks would love more water time. We have not taken a trip and really don’t even have one on the calendar for the near future.

Instead, we’ve spent countless hours at ball games. I’ve packed and unpacked the cooler multiple times a week. Hubby Rick and I have gone for evening walks when it has worked out. And Uber Grandpa has driven kids to every event that he has been asked to. These are the things of our summer that are the little things that we realize really are the big things.

Nearly every morning, I write down three things from the past 24 hours that I am thankful for. About 90 percent of the things, I write down are affiliated with some person that I have had contact with in the past 24 hours. A conversation, a text message, a phone call or a quick catch-up. Maybe a walk-and-talk. All little things that are big enough to make it on a daily gratitude list. And every day when I write these things down, I assure myself these are the things that I want to define my life. The treasures I want to keep. For when I am faithful with these things, then I will have more of these opportunities placed in my life because I’ve kept the little things the big things.

And for this, I give thanks to God.

For appreciating all the little things in my life, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Most Holy One – I look at someone else’s life and assume they have it together. Or I see beautiful photos posted by a person I may or may not know well and wished that I had a bit of their life. But there is something in their life that feels disappointing as well. Rather than getting caught up in the big things of life that we may or may not control, may I always see beauty and glory in every little thing that I have the opportunity to love and celebrate. For these things, may I always be grateful. Amen.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it.

Simple Is Better – Remembering that the Little Things ARE the Big Things