The sun sets on another day…
Sometimes a little thing can make a difference. sometimes it comes on us like an easy rain, sometimes it pelts us like a storm, but always the little things can make a big difference.
I look upon my bookshelf and along with the plethora of books I see a series of small pictures and trinkets that mean something to me. The picture of my daughter when she was little, a porcelain dinosaur, a brass whale, a special book, a ticket from an event, and a stack of cards that were given to me over time, some with envelopes that kick a key thought. These things will be meaningless someday, but for now, they mean a lot to me.
The funny thing is each day I think about them it was not a major event in my life that created these memories, but something small, sometimes almost imperceptible, that made a change in who I am. How many times do we face the same? How many times has someone said “please” or “thank you” or even smiled and it was a difference in our day. As I played with children this morning I saw a little girl have her hand slammed in a car door. I yelled as she was screaming and her mother got out and opened the door. I ran to her in an outfit that would terrify most children, in my loud voice I yelled for “ice” and someone responded. There was an ice pack given by a great dad who was prepared and several people there helping her including a scary looking blob of black with leaves all over it. I talked (I am the scary blob) to her while kneeling and she cried some, but we looked together and it was not bad. I did not think of it until later when we were at the end of the parade, and I got a picture and a hug from a little girl still holding an ice-pack, but this time wearing a smile. I can only hope this small moment overshadowed the pain of the day, I know it made a difference to me.
So as the sun sets on another day, as you live through these adventurous days, learn from them. Remember as you go along that a small gesture can mean something to someone else, and yes, it can mean something special to you as well. Take the extra moment, help someone, laugh with someone, tell a dumb joke, but live with people, and make a difference each and every day, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love people, and laugh all you can…