Little Big Things

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 "Little big things." This phrase has been relentlessly repeating itself in my mind for most of the week now.  I finally took the hint (because this is just one of the ways that God likes to lead me along in my thinking on any given day) and did something about it.

So, what are little big things?  They're those things in life that may seem small and simple, but are what life's all about--what will matter most in the long-run--what will have the greatest impact, though small at first.  (By small and simple things are great things brought to pass! http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/37.6)

I started keeping track of the little things that took place day to day by actively watching for them and then recording them in the little notebook that I carry everywhere I go.  I know, I know.  I have a smartphone.  I like technology.  But I love recording words with paper and pen.  It helps me to process and remember better.

       Little big things culminated into an insightful list this week. Let me share a few of them.

One~My youngest has an amazing ability to remember.  If we ever have a question as to when something took place or where or with whom, we know that the seven year old will know every correct detail with 99% assurance.  It keeps us accountable for EVERYTHING for better or for worse.

In the last week she has been out to eat (which is a kid-favorite around here), to the zoo, and to a brand new and impressive indoor trampoline play place.  I'd say it was a pretty darn good week for a seven year old.  But do you know what she tells me that she remembers and loved the most?

 

Warm blankets: A little big thing.

Most nights, when I'm on top of things and home during her bedtime, I remember to throw in her favorite blanket in the dryer before I tuck her in for the night.  We pull it out together, she nuzzles it, and then we walk down the hall back to her bedroom.  Once there, she revels in the sudden heat infusion. After swaddling her little seven year old body, I wrap her up in it and trap the heat by piling other covers over her.  Bliss.  Pure bliss.

She cherished the warm blankets more than any of those more costly and flashy activities.  Even with her (sometimes annoyingly) AWESOME memory ability, I know for certain that the zoo and other escapades will eventually fade out and what will be left is the memory of her mom wrapping her in bliss.  A little big thing, for sure.

Two~I had a friend recently tell me mid-conversation that she had been praying for me regarding our undertaking with homeschooling this year. I knew that she meant it and not in the congenial way that we sometimes say, "You're in my thoughts and prayers."  No, I knew that she really had meant it and was in fact doing it.  I could feel it as I heard her say it through the phone (and from a text that I received from another friend stating the very same thing just this afternoon.  You know who you are. Thank you!) She truly had been praying that I would have the peace and patience that I would need to embark and succeed on this particular adventure in sacrifice. There is much more power to endure when you know that there are others rooting for you.

Being the object of another person's prayer:  A little big thing, for sure.

  

Three~Sunday afternoon, I found a deliciously quiet moment and snuck off to my bedroom to read. I was soon joined by the teenager who was just waiting for an official invitation to jump into the goose-down goodness of my bed.  So I invited her, and there we lay, side by side. We day dreamed, we laughed at strange YouTube videos that we streamed through my phone, and at some point we both gave into a killer Sunday power nap. I awoke 45 min. later and looked over at her and smiled. What was once, not too long ago, a little girl had somehow grown into a bigger and more beautiful one. I smiled as I memorized that sweet moment.

 The teenager still wanted to spend time with her mom, snuggled in bed, taking a nap:  A little big thing.

Four~The eleven year old, lately, has been jealously eyeing the teenager's constant influx of babysitting money.  He's been trying hard to find things to do that would give him that same spending power and feeling of independence that he sees in her.  As usual, I've told him that this was just another opportunity disguised as a mini trial for him to learn patience and to put God to the test.  "Go pray about it," I told him.

Fortunately for him, he's heard this so many times in his short life that he's pretty much mastered it (the praying part--not the patience) and has developed almost an air of expectation that all of his prayers will be heard and answered in a timely fashion.  This situation was no less deserving.  After another round of conversations last week regarding his lack of employment, he announced on Sunday that he was praying yet again for God to step in and make something happen.  Sure enough, later that day, we get a phone call and wouldn't you know it...a job just for him.  A church member was going to be heading out of town and needed someone to come and dog sit for her for a few days.  "CHA-CHING!" was his first thought, but his second was the one that made my "little big things" list.  He confidently told me that of course the job had come.  Afterall, he had prayed for it and recognized where the blessing had come from. Is this kid amazing or what?

   Answered prayers of faith for an eleven year old boy:  A little big thing.

Five~ My family is the focus of much of my study and time.  Sometimes I see things that worry me and so I get to work and do something about it.  One such case was that of my daughter and her relationship with her father.  I worried when I saw that the two of them didn't quite know how to relate to each other once she hit the pre-teen stage.  That awkwardness was creating a void which only got wider when most subjects like boys, outfits, break-outs and break-ups became deferred-to-mom only topics of conversation.  All normal father-daughter communication came to a screeching halt and needed some redefining and nudging in the right direction.  I worried and so I did something about it.

I prayed a lot for them.  I prayed a lot for inspiration on what to do to help them.  As I look back over the course of this year, I see those prayers and worries answered through a vehicle named volleyball.  It may seem like a little thing, but that net and that ball became bonding glue for the teenager and her dad this year.  They found a common joy and in the matter of a year, that relationship became redefined and renewed thanks to a good plan and some action.

 Volleyball: A little big thing.

So, as you go about the rest of your week, pay attention to what's going on around you.  What are those little big things?  Are you taking notice of the miracles?  The unexpected joys?  Gather them up and wrap them in a big, cozy, blanket and recognize their source and just how beautiful they are.

~Arianna