Little Things Make Up the Whole

The other day, I got to church a little bit later than I meant to, arriving at the same time as a tall, slim young man, someone I had never seen before. He said good morning, held the door open for me, walked beside me down the hall to my classroom, and made small talk along the way. I may never see him again; I didn’t even get his name, but I’ll never forget him. You see, I was feeling kind of down, and this young stranger’s courtesy was like balm to my wounded spirit. He brightened my day considerably.

Little things, like that old song, do mean a lot. They don’t cost a thing and can’t be bought for any price. Yet, a smile, a “thank you”, someone offering to carry a heavy bag or open a door, do a lot for my frame of mind. Because they do, I try to offer to others the kindness that I like to receive.

I’ve heard that every word that was ever spoken is still in the air somewhere; they don’t just go away. They can’t be erased. They may not be audible but they are there. Is that true? It seems preposterous, but lots of preposterous things turn out to be true. If it is, I shudder to think of some of the things I might hear and how many of them would be attributable to me.

Harsh words and actions are like metal clanging on metal and come from, as Dr. Seuss said, “their yammering, hammering, clammering beaks.”  (Did I quote that correctly? Is that from The Sneetches?)

I’m reminded of I Kings 19: 11-13. God wasn’t in the strong wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but He was the still, small voice.

Today, in spite of what I might hear on television or radio or read on the internet, I hope I look for the little things, a smile, a courteous word, a hopeful comment. I hope I’m able to be, for someone else, what that young stranger was to me, a bit of sunshine in a cloudy day. It’s strange but true that in putting someone else’s needs ahead of our own wishes, we don’t lose a thing, but we find a great deal. It’s those little things that make up our days, those small, lovely things that mean a lot.