Little Things

Over the past week, I’ve taken time to notice little things that have made me smile or make me feel blessed or thankful. such as my 6-year-old granddaughter telling me she has six loose teeth. When I commented that with that many loose teeth, the tooth fairy would run out of money. Her answer was, “Oh, no, Grandma. My teeth are just loose. They haven’t fell out yet.”

While watching a nature documentary, one part of it showed a very small light blue bird that lives on an island off the coast of Mexico. The narrator said that the adult bird’s weight was equal to that of five paper clips. I thought to myself how amazing is that! Other parts of the documentary also had astounding information about the life on that particular island.

Yesterday (Sunday), just as we were leaving to go out for lunch, my 11-year-old grandson came out of our house and headed to the church at a dead run. I smiled as I thought of how free and healthy he looked and how many times I’ve seen him run - not walk - from one place to another.

When do we stop running or letting our curiosity lead our footsteps or laugh as we run in the rain or skip?

One day a couple of weeks ago, my 14-year-old grandson, who lives in Nashua, was talking on his cell phone to his mother. I heard him say, “I’m at Grandma’s and she’s helping me with my homework.” And the thought came to mind of how fortunate and blessed I am that I’m able to help him with his homework and how confident he is in my abilities to do so as well of how happy he sounded to have me help him.

Several days ago a friend told me of how a robin helps himself to cat treats she has sitting on a table next to a window she keeps open so her kitties can come and go as they please. The kitties don’t mind the robin and the robin doesn’t seem to be afraid of the kitties. How cool would it be to see that and how great it is that both the robin and kitties seem to get along with each other when you stop to think that birds are a natural prey for cats.

Every so often, when remembering a friend who passed away seven years ago, I see a small white butterfly. And I wonder if the butterfly is a message from her telling me she’s keeping watch over me. Then that thought is gone as another one takes its place - assurance that it truly is my friend.

When I’ve had a couple of days in a row that are a little rough, I suddenly somehow know that things are going to get better. And just as I know they will, I know that it’s because of prayers people have said or are saying for me.

Once in a while I remember the story of a 5-year-old boy who, when asked by his mother where he’d been, replied he’d been next door at the house of a gentleman whose wife had died a few days earlier.

“What did you do there?” his mother asked.

“Oh, really nothing. I just sat on his porch step with him and helped him cry,” came the answer.

Somehow, someway, every day brings me something to smile about, or a sweet memory, or gratitude for a phone call or someone stopping by to visit.

And as the words to a popular song goes - What a wonderful world! - it truly is a wonderful world. We only need to keep our eyes and hearts and minds open to see why it is.