Monday, February 6, 2017

Little Things are Big

sparrows
google images

I feel like I've had way too many of "those days" lately.  The days where the alarm goes off and I want to groan, and hide under the covers.  I often wake up with headaches, or just so exhausted that once I sit down it's a major production to get myself back up again.  I get the kids off to school, and find myself climbing back into bed.

Even when I manage to make a menu, and buy the food for it, most days the meal goes unmade and everyone ends up fending for themselves -- again.  I have many good moments during my days, and usually a nap because I can't stay awake, but there are days when I let discouragement get the best of me.  I cry over the things I can't manage to do, and forget to notice all of the good things I do manage to get accomplished -- which is probably a lot more than this paragraph makes it sound like.

It was a day like this last week, that started off feeling so difficult, that I realized again what a big difference little things can make.  My family loves me (which is huge).  They hug me, and try their best to help me.  They let me know that I am not alone and that they can help.  They don't even complain when dinner doesn't really exist again.

The beauty outside helps.  Right now the piles of melting snow might not be gorgeous, but the birds that come to my bird feeder are fun to watch, and I like to remember that Jesus knows when a sparrow falls and is aware of me during all of the good times and the bad.

On a super hard day last week I went to Walmart and had the hardest time getting anyone to smile at me (I always try to get people to smile at me), but when I walked into one aisle the worker there gave me a huge grin and asked if I needed help.  I was buying bathroom cleaner, which was right at eye level, so no, I didn't need help with that -- but the smile helped!

Texts, phone calls, books, smiles, kind words, and my children laughing can all be considered little things -- but little things really are big when it comes to making a difference.  Little things can change one of "those days" into a truly happy one.  The really hard morning last week actually morphed into a great day all because of the little things.