“People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
-Robert Brault

Photo: Tamara

We tend to take things for granted and overlook the small blessings in our lives.  When we take pleasure in the little things, we live a more graceful life.  We have a more joyous heart.  We tend to live a richer life – full of the beauty that is encapsulated in everything around us. As I contemplate the multitude of blessings in my life, these are some of my favorite little things that really are the big things in life:

• Hugs and kisses from my two little boys. It is amazing just how quickly they grow up!  My youngest is still a kissy, huggy snuggler, but my oldest son has grown up into a “big boy” and isn’t much of a snuggler anymore.  Although I am very blessed that my older son still gives hugs and kisses, just not constantly like he did two short years ago.

• My boys taking turns sitting on my lap while I read them books. I know that all too soon, neither of them will want to sit on their mommy’s lap.  I relish each moment that I have now!

• Reading books to and with my sons. I absolutely LOVE books!  To be able to share the joy and knowledge that one can gain from a book with my little ones is such a privilege!  I love the fact that I get to share in the adventures they embark on when they enter the world of books.  Another cool thing is that my oldest son can sound out and read rather large words, but still prefers me to read aloud to him.  I treasure this time of him wanting me to be part of his intimate world!

• Observing my sons helping each other. Watching them interact in a kind and generous manner without external interference is heartwarming.  I cling to these moments to help me deal with the much more often bickering that occurs.

• Holding hands with DH. So much intimacy is communicated between us when we hold hands.  The reassurance that we are sticking together through the good and the bad with God’s help and guidance and hearts full of love and devotion to one another.

• Spending time with extended family. We take those that we love for granted as they have always been a part of our lives and we expect them to always be there.  Spending time with my grandparents and other extended family last weekend refilled me.  Simply being in their presence brings me reassurance that all is right with the world.  Spending time with our parents is a gift that we don’t take as lightly anymore as they live over 1,600 miles away.  When we do have the opportunity to spend time with them, we cherish it greatly.  It is amazing just how much you miss being able to hug your parents!

• Chatting with my best friend. I am very blessed to be able to talk to my best friend almost daily on the telephone for extended periods of time (thank you, unlimited long distance!!).  We are able to talk about all aspects of our lives and find support in each other for the struggles we are facing.  Even when we don’t have any “news” to discuss or issue that needs debate, just hearing her voice brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

• Praying as a family. We say grace before meals.  We all say a bedtime prayer together as part of our nightly bedtime routine for the boys.  The feeling that I get listening to them recite the prayers is indescribable.  It feels as if the Holy Spirit is filling me up to over-flowing.
  

• Watching the children get excited about something. I wish that I could capture their joy and amazement when they discover something new or are enthralled with something!  But I have found that I enjoy life more fully when I am experiencing it first hand, instead of through a lens (which is what I used to do).  There are many times that I wish I had my camera in hand in order to capture those moments to be relived many times over, but alas, it just isn’t the case much anymore.

• Falling asleep next to DH. The warmth and security of DH laying beside me at night isn’t so much physical as emotional.  Knowing that he will always be by my side is comforting.  When we are apart, I have a hard time falling asleep.

• Hearing “I love you.” Sometimes we hear this phrase so often that it seems trite, but isn’t that what life is really all about – loving and being loved? I know that I am touched every time that someone tells me that they love me – even if it is off-handed.  Just because the phrase can be said by anyone doesn’t mean that they don’t care about us.  And, well, I enjoy being loved!  It makes me feel, well, loved!
  

I am going to make a more concerted effort to enjoy the little things and bask in their pleasure!

What are the little things in your life?

Please check out Amy’s Finer Things Friday for more little/big things.

“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson has always been one of my favorite philosophers. The clarity with which he wrote about the human experience seems to convey my fuzzy thoughts and feelings. It is as if Emerson looked inside me and printed onto the page the words that reflect the turmoil or thoughts that I am experiencing. This is NOT to say that I believe myself to be on Emerson’s level – far from that!! It is just that his writings always touch me in such a personal way that I can relate as if he and I were sitting down chatting over a nice cup of hot chocolate and his words were chosen carefully for the lesson that I needed imparted to me.

How often is it that we are comfortable being ourselves in the privacy of our home? How is it that we are in a group that we become someone else – taking on the attitudes and behaviors we perceive as being favored by those in our company? How hard it is to be completely true to ourselves when in the presence of people whom are not part of our immediate family! How we wish to have everyone love us and accept us for who we are yet we put on a facade in hopes to make a better impression. Even as we walk down the street, we try to present an air of confidence which we may not truly feel. Acceptance and insecurity. We seek to be accepted and we are insecure about being accepted as we are by others.

I find myself all too often concerned with being liked by others. Did he misunderstand what I was trying to say? Did she misread my body language as being standoffish instead of being uncertain in the situation? Does he think that I am uneducated because I cannot contribute to the current conversation? Does she think that I am rude because I am not good at engaging in small talk? Did my attempt to be funny come across as idiotic? Was my awkward attempt to reach out and make a new friend interpreted as needy?

As I deal with my insecurities, I remind myself of my strengths. It is during these times that I focus on who I really am and the person that I wish to grown into. As I strive to be the best person I can be in all of my roles, I hope that others are able to see me for who I really am and love me anyway.

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.” – Brother David Steindl-Rast

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” -M. Scott Peck

“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
-H.H. The Dalai Lama