The Briar Philosopher - Gratitude for all things, great and small

I read a quote this morning that really summed up how I feel about the things that move me to gratitude.  The quote is from a book entitled “We Are Called to Rise” by author Laura McBride.  I had not previously heard of the author. The quote appeared on the Facebook page of another author I like, proving that, much as even a blind hog can find an acorn every now and then, even FaceBook throws out something useful from time to time. 

The quote is as follows: 

“It all matters.  That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the wind-blown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot, listens to the repeated tale, folds the abandoned laundry, plays the game fairly, tells the story honestly, acknowledges help, gives credit, says good night, resists temptation, wipes the counter, waits at the yellow, makes the bed, tips the maid, remembers the illness, congratulates the victor, accepts the consequences, takes a stand, steps up, offers a hand, goes first, goes last, chooses the small portion, teaches the child, tends to the dying, comforts the grieving, removes the splinter, wipes the tears, directs the lost, touches the lonely, is the whole thing.  What is most beautiful is least acknowledged.” 

It probably isn’t necessary to say that I very much agree with that quote. When Thanksgiving rolls around we tend to reflect on the things for which we are thankful but often we think only of the big things, our health, or children, our spouses, our homes and how those things represent the love that surrounds us. Those things are, of course, very important and quite worthy of our gratitude.  

It also happens, however, that we tend not to see the daily small gestures of love and care that surround us with love all the time. We even tend to downplay our own small gestures of love and care and tend to feel like we’re not doing much if our expressions of love aren’t done on a grand scale. But, as I’ve said before, the big things are quite often made up of the little things.  The problem is that those little things often lie within the parts of our lives that we consider mundane. Things that happen all the time are the things most likely to escape our notice. We start taking them for granted and forget how important they really are.  

The Boy brings me coffee every morning. I am always grateful for that but even behind that small gesture are other considerations.  Every night he fills and sets the coffee maker for the next morning. He turns it on each morning. He has learned exactly how I like my coffee and he always delivers it with a smile, even on the mornings when he doesn’t really feel like getting out of bed.  All of those things are worthy of note.  There is a lot of love in that cup of coffee.  I am also grateful on a daily basis for our neighbors, Jamie and Tony Timberman and Joseph.  They always have our backs. I was talking to Jamie one day and I was whining a little bit about a chore I was working on. The next day, I got a message from her apologizing that she didn’t offer to help with the chore. She was thinking about me even though I wasn’t with her at the time. I matter to her and she loves me. She shows me that in all kinds of ways. She always asks if I need anything when she is going out of town. She is always ready to help me with anything I might need and she would move the world to do good for me.  None of those things are “little” things. 

So, this Thanksgiving, lets focus on all the things that others do for us as well as the things we ourselves do for others. They are worth so much more than we think because love is the force that is behind them and there really isn’t such a thing as small when it comes to love.