This morning I got caught in the early morning rain, spilled coffee, and forgot my sweater, but….I had only been driving a few minutes when I saw this. it was pretty cool to see through the rain to the sunlight on the horizon. Sometimes you just gotta go through stuff like rain, or tough circumstances, or waiting periods. During those times, it’s a real gift to catch glimpses of what’s beyond the rain or tunnel or whatever. Yep, there’s something beyond the ‘through’, and seeing that has a way of helping the ‘through’ to be so much more valuable. Because what did Ralph Waldo Emerson say? “Life is a journey, not a destination.” It’s a good thing to enjoy the summer rain while still looking forward to the sun shining when the sky clears.
Yeah, it’s amazing the way a little thing can encourage. A friend dropped off these sweet sunflowers at school yesterday. Funny how a simple kindness can make such a big difference. These little beauties brightened up my classroom and my day for sure. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” (Aesop) Yep. I would have to agree.
I love how gifts can keep giving. The flowers won’t last for long, but here’s the cool thing. The memory will. But when these are gone, I can take this sweet bottle, replenish the water, add a few flowers, and pass these on to another unsuspecting receiver or encourag-ee. Thankful that a simple kindness can just multiply. The flowers didn’t just bless me, even some of the kids in my room appreciated them. Anyway, I say all that to say, that you never know what a little something might do to encourage someone…and not just that someone, but people they come in contact with….and the ripples go out and out and out…
If my “Grannie” had one mantra to choose, I think it would’ve been “Pass it on”. And she did. She passed on gifts and kindnesses and “I’m thinking of yous” all the time. And because of that, she influenced so many people. She loved well. Thankful for my friend, and “Grannie” and so many who are quietly moving in our midst and encouraging folks to know they are loved and thought of. Encouragement grants courage to do our thing, and I think we all need doses of it more often than not. Especially with all the nonsense that is going on in our midst. Light makes darkness flee. A little light, ….even just a little…helps light up the darkness….or the gray of a rainy day.
So, today, I’m thankful for the little things. And more than that…I’m thankful for the ordinary folks who become the deliverers of the ‘little things’ like flowers and smiles and simple acts of kindness…and for the difference they make in a day.
Blessings ~
Heather
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.”
I Corinthians 13:13
soletusknow 