The Little Things

Proverbs 27.

i'm sure my co-workers think i'm the strangest person they know because most days on my lunch i park my car so i can be in the sun and look out over the city. after 19 years of living in dallas, tx (5 years in abilene, tx) i never realized how clear and gorgeous it really is. i sit and have lunch, read a little shakespeare or the Bible, listen to the radio, meditate or doing what's the most difficult, think about nothing. its honestly my favorite part of the day. i've always loved the fall, beautiful weather, football, NASCAR and so many other things i've taken for granted all these years.

i guess you never honestly see what you're taking for granted until its snatched away from you. now, its the simplest things that make me smile. for the last three weeks i haven't had to work on a sunday and i've been able to go to church and be with my family. i've never sought God with so much fervor until i had to leave church for work and my niece cried because i had to leave her and she didn't understand why and that broke my heart. i'd been taking my sundays for granted like i'd always have them and when they were taken away i missed them more than anything. it was the same thing with working out, i didn't miss it while i could still get up and get my sexy on, but when i couldn't workout for almost 2 weeks i thought i would go crazy.

this summer i had a friend to ask me what made me happy and i told him white butterflies (i totally took this question out of context). but i realized its the simple things that we look over. proverbs 27 talks about not talking about tomorrow because we don't know anything about it and how sweet friendships are refreshing to the soul. after i read that passage i made a list of the smallest and not so small things that i take for granted daily and here's a little sample of what i came up with:

sunday afternoon lunch with my family
meaningful friendships
a hug from my niece
a txt from a friend
good advice from my sister
laughing
sunshine
my health
my job (although its not my dream career)
my gifts and talents
freedom
movement
love
peace of mind
hearing the laughter of children
my sister being proud of me
my mom wanting to spend time with me
an encouraging word from my dad


this isn't half of the little things i'd forgotten to be grateful for; these are just the things that were taken away from me or i'd lost because of arrogance. please remember the simple things, the small things that seem minute and insignificant. whether you're rushing though your day like me or having a beautiful lax friday, remember something that you make take for granted, stop and say a simple prayer of thanks to the one who allowed it to be. take heart and remind yourself that these subtle notes in between the loud noises are what makes life so much better.