Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard  

 
A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life.   It's the small things in life which truly mean the most.  Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  

  

Sweet e-mails and messages from friends.  Contact with others.  The comments you leave here, the e-mails you send, etc. They are all wonderful mood lifters.  It helps at times like these to know you are not alone.  The other day one of you sent me this beautiful poem . . . 

Signs 

In time of drought, let us be 

thankful for this very gentle rain, 

a gift not to be disdained 

though it is little and brief, 

reaching no great depth, 

barely kissing the leaves' lips. 

Think of it as mercy. 

Other minor blessings may show up—

tweezers for splinters, 

change for the parking meter, 

a green light at the intersection, 

a cool wind that lifts away 

summer's suffocating heat. 

An apology after a harsh comment. 

A word that opens an unfinished poem 

like a key in a lock. 

~Lucy Shaw

It is so beautiful and I have read it several times.  I thought it wonderful enough to share with you all.  A pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled.  Times like this we need to be more aware than ever of signs and blessings . . .

 

Another friend send me this in an e-mail.  I thought it very profound. I have been very lucky that I have my husband to isolate with, but so many have nobody.   There are at least  6 widows in my church congregation, one who was widowed just a week before this all started, and then there are many sisters in our Ward who are single, and brothers who are single also.  I am sure we all know people who going through these challenging times on their own.  Its a simple thing to do, just pick up the phone and give them a call, or  send them an e-mail, or a note in the post (if you can).  We can be the Lord's hands at times like this, so that nobody gets left behind. 

  

Reaching out to others is never a wasted experience.  Especially at this time when we are all experiencing similar trials, problems, worries, concerns.  We truly are all in this together.  Its interesting that this is a "World-Wide" experience. I cannot remember anything happening like this in my whole lifetime . . .  nothing that the whole world was able to experience at the same time. On yes 9/11 was a tragedy that changed the whole way the world thought, but we did not all experience what it was like to live in NYC at that moment.  We could empathise and sympathise, but we couldn't actually feel the same emotions.  Now with the world wide  Pandemic raging we are all experiencing the same emotions, fear, concern, worry, etc. I think its quite a unique situation.  But I could be wrong.  In any case, reaching out to others is never a wasted experience.  You can either share the umbrella or you can share the rain.

 

Hope.  Where would any of us be without this simple thing . . .  Hope. It is something we all cling to whether we will admit it or not. It is the thing which keeps us  moving forward, even in the midst of despair.  It is the thing which keeps us ticking, for without hope we have nothing.  It wills us to get up every morning, and allows us to sleep at night. Hope is the driving force that keeps us going through the difficult moments of our lives.  Having hope in an unknown future keeps us focused and determined on our journey throughout life. Hope helps us fight the battles life may throw at us and helps us stay positive and optimistic. Hope helps us to overcome adversity.  Hope is that beautiful place between the way things were and the way things are yet to be  . . .

 

Most of the time I try and endeavor to be a half-full cup type of person. Oh, yes, I am not perfect, not by a long chalk . . .  I sometimes have half empty moments, but I don't allow myself to stay in the half empty cup for long.  It would be naive of me to think I will never have moments where I feel half empty . . .  and actually dishonest for me to represent my life as being perfect or myself as being perfect. Oh, I am far far from it. I am in need of mercy and grace as much as anyone is . . . we are all broken to some degree. 

 

Never under-estimate the value of being a good listener.  My mother was a good listener.  She could talk the ear off a dead donkey, but she could also listen like nobody else.  She was always willing to listen, even if what you had to say wasn't all that important.  She always made you feel like what you were saying was important to her and that meant everything.   I miss her dreadfully  . . . 

Oh how very grateful I am 

to have had someone

in my life like my mother. 

 It will be the North American Mother's Day soon.  I am not a fan of Mother's Day and have not been so for a number of years now.  I always enjoyed sending my mother a card.  Upon moving over here I would have to buy it in February because the UK Mother's Day is a lot earlier in the year.  That is a lesson I learnt the first year I was over here.  Last year was the first year I had no mother to send a card to.  Being able to send mom one always took away the sting of never receiving any myself.  Of course this year, being in lock-down means I couldn't send one even if I had one.    Oh how we need hope. It won't always be this way.   

 

Home-centred, Church supported Gospel learning.  How inspired was my church to have already had this in place well before the Pandemic landed.  This meant that we were all ready to be able to fly on the strength of our own wings.  When I popped our tithing into our envelope yesterday I realised it has been 8 weeks since the last time we were able to attend church on Sunday.   We've been okay.  Yes, we miss the company of the other Saints, but through the blessings of modern technology we are able to enjoy the music and hymns which mark our Sunday meetings, we can listen to and watch faith inspiring talks.  Because he has the Priesthood, Todd is able to bless and pass the sacrament here in our own home, so we are able to remember the Saviour and renew our covenants with Him.  Inspired Ward leaderships has meant that we are able to access lessons for both Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood/Primary here in our own homes. These are challenging times for sure, but we have not been left dangling.  I am so grateful for that. 

And with that I best leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Sometimes not saying 

anything is the best answer.

Silence can never be misquoted. 

~Unknown 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 

 

I have nothing new to share with you in the Kitchen today, but I can share what  I shared with you exactly a year ago today . . . Canadian Dutchies!  Yum! 

Hope your week ahead is filled with small and wonderful things.  Along the way, don't forget! 

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And I do too!     Stay safe!