It's the little things...

It really, truly is about the little things in life. Why is it that something as simple as a new water bottle can make me happy? The big things like getting into nursing school and my anniversary, while awesome, take so long to achieve that the build up kind of ruins everything. Adam is going to have a salad for dinner tonight and I got him croutons...this makes me a rock star. This is how we show love, not by huge grandiose gestures, but by the little things. I would love to be able to lavish my kids with dance class and voice lessons, all of the toys and cd's and movies they want, and a bigger house. This is not in the cards for us right now, maybe in a few years once I have graduated and can afford "stuff", but for right now it's the little things. I got Rylie a library card of her own and for those of you who know the kid this makes me MOY(mother of the year). We rearranged the house so each kid could have their own room and for my tweens this makes us Awesome! My good friend and Client Clayton (92) told me in one of his pastoral(retired) moments to pay attention to the little things in life because the big ones are few and far between and as I wait to hear news of his passing I am thinking of all of the little things he has given me in the 9 months we have known each other. He is the one who told me that nursing was my ministry and that I was really good at it. He showed me how to make English Toffee. He showed me that I don't have to be afraid of all old men because of what one old man did to me. He shared his love of John Wayne and westerns with me, I too am now a fan. He told me the same joke over and over and I laughed every time. He showed me that love and laughter are all you need to make your marriage work for 70+ years. He showed an interest in my children, my marriage, my schooling, my church, and my pageants and remembered it all. We shared many knowing looks when Arline, his wife, did something silly(she has severe dementia). We cried together when Arline asked him where his wife was? We cried some more when he said he missed his wife. We have shared so many little things and I will cherish them forever. Thank you Clayton for all the little things...I love you, you will be missed...