Not the Rector’s Letter, or the occasional Ramblings of a Church Warden
It’s the little things in life! A much-misused quotation.
· "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things." – Kurt Vonnegut
· "Half the joy of life is in little things taken on the run… but let us keep our hearts young and our eyes open that nothing worth our while shall escape us." – Victor Cherbuliez
· “Watch the little things; a small leak will sink a great ship.” – Benjamin Franklin
Luke 16:10
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
What are the little things in life? Watching a kingfisher dart along a river, the cry of a young buzzard in the summer, the contended purring of a cat, the snoring of your dog after a long walk, the sound of children playing, peace and quiet?
Were you lucky enough to find the sixpence in the Christmas pudding, the string on the roast in your Sunday dinner?
I was out walking Harley whilst Kay was on one of her now almost daily visits to Musgrove Park Hospital (Kay’s mum has been in and out over the past 2 months following falls and surgery, and Emma has also had back surgery). We had just got to the end of our walk when Kay phoned to say she was coming out of the hospital, so Harley and I waited at the end of Parkfield Drive for her. Now anyone who has a dog knows that they get excited waiting for someone (even if it has been only 25 minutes since they last saw them). So, Harley spotted her and the tail started wagging and the bottom was wiggling (Harley not Kay) and once she crossed the road, he ran up to her and waited for the customary fuss and pats on the head. Following behind Kay was a man, who we learned had just been undergoing some treatment, and he was very slowly walking home. He commented that the excitement of the dog was the best thing he had seen that day. It had made his day seeing the dog so happy! It got me thinking, a simple act by the dog, something we experience on a daily basis, could bring so much joy to others. It made me realise that something we see as an everyday occurrence can have an entirely different meaning to someone else.
Should we take the little things in life for granted or think of them as a gift and enjoy them as they happen?
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
—Winnie the Pooh
Bob Pamplin