Small Things ...

Standing at the her kitchen sink, I saw the little frame sitting there on the window sill.  Drying my hands, I read, 

"To do carefully and constantly and kindly, 

many little things, is NOT a little thing." 

A quote by Steven Covey's mother.  Steven who?  This guy.  

Now, at the time, I didn't know who Mr. Covey was (or his mother) ... but these words sunk deep into my heart.

Later that afternoon, that phrase echoed back through my mind ...

Carefully. (with diligence)

Constantly. (over and over and over)

Kindly. (gulp)

Many little things. (potential to be overwhelmed)

NOT a little thing. (of greatest value)

Words from a been-there-done-that mom to my in-the-midst-of-it-all mommy heart ... a breath of fresh air.  A challenge.  And a blessing.

As a mom of an on-the-cusp-of-double-digits boy, I find myself grasping at his childhood, trying to hold on to his littleness.  And as a mom of an I-am-gonna-do-it-my-way three-year old, I find myself in the middle of infinite battles over everything and nothing at all.  Here in this dance of Don't Grow Up and Please, Grow Up, I find myself with a new understanding of the importance of the small things.  

But it's not just in my parenting. This is an intricate dance found throughout life.

The small things in my role as a mother and a wife and a sister and a daughter and a friend are, in reality, the big things.

Since this little spark of wonder for all things small, God has been gently prompting me to keep my eyes and ears open.  And I've decided that I'll share my discoveries with you.  I hope you'll come back in the coming days for a fresh look at the small things of life.  

And see anew that they are indeed the snapshots of life with the greatest value.