The little things...

Last night when I got home from church my husband told me that our male dog, Bear, was tied out and waiting for me to put him up. Reluctantly I went out there to put him up. The moment I approached him he jumped up softly (as softly as a 90+ pound dog can) and looked up at me with his big eyes, droopy ears and slobbery face as if he hadn't seen me in days. My heart melted and I hugged him and held him. That unconditional love from him and the pretty girl inside the fence barking out of jealously can melt away any cares that preceded my visit. What if us humans could be as consistently loving and forgiving as these precious canines? This world would certainly be a better place. My point is to never underestimate the little things...you never know how big a little thing can be to someone else.

As I put our 5 year old to bed last night we worked yet again on tying her shoes. She has been trying for some time now and we haven't been able to master it. I got the book Red Lace, Yellow Lace a couple of weeks ago and we have worked with it some. Last night she was determined and after a while she was able to do it herself with only prompting from me. I didn't have to touch a thing. This was a huge step for her. She reached over and gave me a big hug and said, "Oh mommy...thank you so much for teaching me to do this." It's the little things...

About 2:30 last night I was hit in the face with a fluffy green dinosaur. There was a 2 year old standing there looking at me with sleepy eyes. He felt like he might be a little warm, but not really a fever. I got up and gave him medicine just in case and some tea. It was clear he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon so we retreated to the recliner in the living room. A couple of hours later I could tell he was getting sleepy so I told him several times we were turning off the TV and going night night. The moment I turned off the TV he climbed up on my shoulder and put his head down for a while. It's the little things... After he laid there a while he turned around and picked up my left hand and placed it ever so gently on his tummy and he reached for my right hand so we could hold hands. As I sat there I thought to myself...what a blessing to have this sweet little man to take care of. There were days several years ago when I honestly thought I'd never have a baby to hold. It's the little things...

At school Michael has speech therapy on Mondays and developmental therapy on Thursdays. His developmental therapist is just returning from maternity leave and boy is she hitting the ground running. First of all, teachers aren't always welcoming of having therapists in their room. We are blessed because Michael's teachers love the therapists coming and they use it as an opportunity to learn more about how to help the little man be the best kid he can be. His therapist called me on her way to his school and talked for almost 45 minutes about him. She shared ideas with me, offered suggestions and just listened. She certainly didn't have to spend her drive on the phone with me, but she did. I had a rough morning with the little man. He went to get a doughnut like he does every morning and my 5 year old assistant didn't tell me they ate the last ones yesterday. Well, his world fell apart because not having the doughnut changed our morning routine. After talking with the therapist I felt a sense of calm and felt like I had some ideas for the future. It's the little things...

Sometimes as a society, myself included, we feel like we have to do big things for people or it is insignificant. Today as we go thru the day let's try to do some little things for others. It might be as simple as a text to say 'thinking about you', an email, a hug, a candy bar, or an anonymous good deed. You might plant a seed that you won't know the outcome, but you have planted the seed. Doing things for others isn't about the thank you. It isn't about seeing the outcome. It's about doing it from the goodness of your heart and out of Christian love.  We all get by with a little help from our friends... Will you pray with me?

God we come to you to ask you to help us find the little things in our lives that we often overlook. We ask you to help us offer you praise for these little things. Help us look for opportunities to do little things for others. Thank you for this day and thank you for the little things. Amen.