the little Things.

I have no idea how often I say, "it really is the little things" but I'd imagine the number is pretty high. And yet I often forget to do or give those little things to or for others. Last Sunday night I went grocery shopping with Anthony. Standing at 'the pill wall' as I call it, we were debating about which vitamin C pills to get since I need to be on them while I'm pregnant. At last we picked a brand and began to walk away. A sweet lady with one of the largest stacks of coupons I'd ever seen asked us which brand we finally picked. We told her and she promptly pulled out a dollar-off coupon and gave it to us. We said thank you and turned the corner to the next aisle. The rest of our time at the store I couldn't get over how nice that was. I don't take the time to clip coupons, but that lady watched us and offered us her coupon. Sure, it was only a dollar, but the gesture meant so much to me because it isn't all that often that people actually talk to each other at the grocery store, let alone share coupons. The following Monday I left work early. I got home and crawled into bed and whined about how I'd had a migraine since last night that wouldn't go away - and whining even more because I couldn't just pop my prescription pills because I'm pregnant. I hopped on to one of my favorite Facebook groups of Catholic women and asked for prayers/whined about the pain. Not long after posting, one of the women called me and said she was in my neck of the woods. She asked for my address and told me she'd swing by with some essential oils in hopes of curing my migraine. Half an hour later she showed up - kids waiting in the van - with a box of goodies, not just things for my migraine, but things to cheer me up and keep me well. My migraine was still there, but suddenly my joy and my hope had totally turned around. The kindness she showed me was incredible and so, so touching. She didn't have to go out of her way to bring me anything, much less a last minute care package. Not only did the oils work like a charm - thank goodness - but her kindness and generosity lifted my spirits and reminded me that humanity still has some goodness left in it. So often we (myself included) forget that it really is the little things that make a difference. We talk about wanting to change the world but fail to realize that such a change can and does start in the smallest of ways. A coupon shared, a kind word to a stranger, a new book for the homeless man you pass every day, a card to an old friend just because. These little things go a long way to make a big difference. Maybe it make it your goal once a week to do a small little thing for someone else, whether they notice or care or not. Get out of your own self and restore someone else's faith in humanity. Because if you remember, at our core, we were all created in the image and likeness of Love itself.