In Thinking About Those "Little" Things

Little things have a way of sneaking up on us. A lot of years ago I got married. My wife and I had a prenup of a sort. We made the agreement that "All of the big decisions that were to be made in our life together, I would take care of because I was to be the head of the house. In direct proportion she, in her infinite wisdom, assigned herself the task of making all of the 'little' decisions concerning our lives. I asked her after about ten years why I never seemed to have to make any decisions, to which she reponded, "That's because there have never been any big decisions to make honey." Am I blessed, or what? Life continues like that for us to this day. I know, you got the joke now, but what does it teach me? A lot! It's the constant little 'decisions' we make which keep every petal on the flower of our lives from closing. Every day we choose little things that have impact on who, how, where, and what we are. It's all those little 'things' that keep us growing, or not growing, depending on the choices we consciously make. The most important facet of one's life, in my opinion, is their relationships! We form them everywhere. I could make a long list, but you know what I'm talking about. For better or worse we have relationships all over the place. I've done a few funerals where the number in attendance was so small that lunch could have been a shared value meal. Then there have been the ones that even standing room didn't offer enough space and people were lined up all the way around the church with outdoor speakers to hear what was going on inside. The trip to the cemetary was accompanied by the police because it was so long. Somewhere in between the two is where most of us end up. The thought I would like to convey is "It is the little decisions of relationships that are determining, even now, how our passing will be mourned, celebrated, or remembered." Not to end on a morbid note, I would have to admit that we probably won't know or give a rip who shows up or doesn't show up. But, isn't there some personal comfort found in knowing that we have not passed this way, lived this life in obscurity, or in vain, so to speak? It's all the little things that give our lives shape and form, substance and reality. I don't know how you feel about this, but I know for myself that I have relationships that need tending in little ways every day. God bless you. In Christ's Love, Preacher.