Day 68 Small Things

Every once in a while I need to remind myself to be grateful.  Not for the large things, because those are so obvious.  No, I need to remind myself to be grateful for the little things in life that bless me.

For example, a young lady at work today received several phone calls while she was in a webinar meeting. After the meeting was over she informed us that she had received a phone call from the same number three times while she was in meeting.

She called the number back and asked for her phone number in the office to be placed on the "do not call list."  The male on the other end of the line hinted that he was with some legal agency and then laughed at my co-worker.

Bad mistake. 


My co-worker told the person about the laws he was violating and the potential fines the company would be assessed. The other person laughed at her all the more and she explained that she would be contacting legal authorities including the attorney general (I think that's the position) and reporting the number and other relevant information regarding the call.

In the impact of my life, that call really meant nothing. It wasn't for me or about me.  But there was something about the way S slowed her speech and put concrete into her voice.  One by one we all stopped what we were doing and just listened.  No, the call meant nothing to me, but the way S handled it sure did.

A small thing, but an important lesson.

Sometimes it is just the little interactions you can have with people negative or positive.

We also had a guest this morning. Our guest has a certain presence that just fills the space. Gregarious, funny, serious, thoughtful and a host of other words describe our visitor. And when gone, the room is not quite as bright and the energy not quite as high.  And if you are reading this I hope you know how much all of us love and miss you.

Little blessings also include having my job as difficult as it is right now.  I was able to go into the grocery store and by ingredients for supper and for the Mexican Wedding cookies I made afterward.

I have a place to live, a car that is paid for, wonderful children, opportunities to volunteer, and a life time of experiences that created an appreciation of other people, places and political histories.

I'm sitting at a desk, with a computer. I spent time researching how to format a television script. I can walk in my neighborhood without fear.

In the eyes of the world, maybe this isn't success or much of a blessing. In my eyes, they are huge. Sure, I could wish for more, and I do. But I also know that wishing doesn't do much of anything except create a longing.  It is up to me to do something with the desires that come into my life.

I have to compare them to the little/big blessings I already have.  How much freedom is responding to that longing going to cost me? How much time? Money? What will I have to give up?

A long, long time ago when I lived near the shores of Lake Michigan I realized something about the people who owned boats.  They had to be concerned with prepping the boat for the water. They had to scrape barnacles, paint, clean, check life vests and a host of other safety standards.  When the season was over, they had to scrape again and prep the boat for dry docking.  They had to find a place to store the boat and pay additionally for that privilege. They really didn't own the boats.  The boats owned them.  

I'm happy with small things, small blessings. I think it helps me appreciate everything that comes into my life.

So tonight, I'm making a new recipe, Mexican Wedding cookies. I was able to buy the ingredients, mix the recipe and bake the tiny cookies in the oven. I can do that. It's fun and not a chore that must be completed. The cookies are a gift to others and don't own me.

I'm trying harder to keep my eyes and ears open for the little things, the learning things, the life lesson things.  My focus isn't on gathering more belongings (actually, I've been working on purging); it's about appreciating what I have.

The bible asks us, "Who has despised the day of small things?" None of us will if we remember to be grateful for the simple things we do every day and rarely think about. Our hearts beat, we breathe, we think, we feel.

So tonight I'm thankful for what I learned vicariously from S; for my house and oven; for walking my dog; for the ability and all that entails, to make Mexican Wedding cookies.

* * * * *

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 cup butter/margarine/Country Crock

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Pinch salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups of flour (I used gluten free rice flour)

1 cup crushed pecans/walnuts

1/2 cup powdered sugar (that's a total of 1 cup)

Mix butter and sugar together until creamy.

Add salt, vanilla extract. Mix well.

Slowly add flour into butter mixture, mix well after each addition.

Roll dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for approximately 12 minutes. Remove when light golden brown.

Roll immediately in remaining powdered sugar.

Refrigerate.

Number of cookies depends on the size of your cookie balls. They don't spread much so you can get quite a few on the cookie sheet. Surprisingly, they are not too sweet.

However, two cookies is about 160 calories, so don't eat too many!