It's The Small Things

From the moment we are born and we take our first breath we are running out of the gates to begin our journey of life. Our parents do what they can to guide us in the right direction. They take pride in the small things, our first smile, our first time sleeping through the night, our first steps and our first words. Before they know it we are out the door and on our own, making new chapters in our lives from college to marriage to children of our own. Sometimes things don’t happen in that order and we may choose a path that our parents or society don’t agree with, but it’s our own path to take and that is a right of passage we can all celebrate in.


Of course not all parents have been as great as mine, and there were times through my teenage years when “I knew EVERYTHING!”, that my parents didn’t think I was very grateful. But they let me be who I was and make my mistakes and were proud of me regardless of my attitude. Life hasn’t always been chocolate and roses but as a family we made it through the tough times together, and in the end we know that we are always there when we are needed.

For the past five years I’ve been struggling with the decision that God made to take my dad home at such an early age. We weren’t done with him yet, how could He possibly need him more than we did? There were grandchildren to be with and one that had yet to be born. For me in particular, I still need my Daddy even though I am all grown up, nothing replaces a hug from him or the words, “I love you Kid.” How could God take such a great man and leave the not so great ones here? A question that I will never know the answer to until it’s my time to go home. Through the years, I’ve become somewhat at peace with the fact that he is no longer here and am thankful that he didn’t suffer as long as I’ve seen some suffer. It’s the small things that help me get through the day.

I started working at the Senior’s lodge and in the few shifts I’ve had, I’ve realized that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. Time is all we have and it can go by fast or it can go by very slow. It’s what we do with that time that makes our lives worth living and sharing. My heart is finally softening towards others that still have their Dad in their lives. I was a jealous person watching others enjoy their time when mine was cut short. And I pray for those that are taking their time with their aging parents for granted. We all get busy and we all forget, I am just as guilty for having time slip by so quickly. (Don’t worry mom, I will be there to look after you!)

It’s great to be able to help the people at the lodge and even more rewarding that with a simple smile and a soft touch I know I’ve made a moment of their day a good one. The small things in life are what we remember most, and when they are taken away they are the moments we miss the most. A hug, hearing I love you or just sitting in silence with the ones you love. We have a lot to be thankful for in our lives and sometimes we tend not to remember that. As bad as your day may seem to be going someone out there could be having a worse day than you. Remember the small things and life could be a little easier to get through.