No matter what our lives hold, little things will be part of them. They will always be far more important than we know, and when we pay attention to them our lives are enriched .
Phrases posted on Facebook June 2025
There can be little, niggling things that always cause us annoyance. They are like splinters, not serious, but they keep bringing up the same old reaction in us. What an opportunity to love something to death! Each time we give the reaction a little understanding of how much effort reactivity takes, that realization may begin to change things one small incident at a time.
To arrive . . . that’s the thing. Arriving exactly where we are is to be aware and present. A seemingly small but huge thing. If we keep doing it, we’ll finally come home.
If even one link is off, a zipper won’t zip. I’ve come to respect how a small move to be in alignment with something I believe in makes a difference. But the opposite is also true. To stop a takeover, many small moves to be out of alignment must be dared. Either way the small and little needs respect for they have power.
We might think that small actions on behalf of others are of little account. But they are the very glue that holds the world together the way mortar holds bricks. I love this quote from Julian of Norwich: “The smallest thing will not be forgotten.”
I ask what little thing today may I do that would delight me or someone? Anything done with delight has added umph! And when something is little, it’s easy to do. For me this is an antidote to the heavy and frightening political reality we live in now. It’s about creating a bit of joy, and joy like water seeps into whatever crevice is available.
Here’s a great quote from Helen Keller: “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”
Watching an apple happen (love the rhyme here) I can see a flower, then a little knob that gets bigger until there’s an apple and a whole summer season for it to turn red. It happens a little at a time. I want to respect that. It is a little at a time that we, too, ripen and become who we fully are.
We put one foot in front of the other or the other ways around, too, trying to do our best without really knowing what that is. Does it matter? I don’t think it does. A little daily best done with love is enough.
Sometimes we get niggly intuitions that something isn’t quite right. Better to follow up on such rather than ignore them. I’ve been saved many times by paying attention and acting accordingly. I’m sure that has been true for you as well.
Spices, I love them and how just a touch of cayenne will brighten a dish. I can see how a very little sprinkle of love, peace or consideration can brighten whatever is around me. Every one of us has an array of spices in our heart-cupboards.
“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”—May Sarton
The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceness as a beach — waiting for a gift from the sea. — Anne Morrow Lindberg
What little thing can I let go of? An object I no longer need, a little grudge that hurts me more than anyone, a spontaneous smile, there are so many more from the reservoir of love. Letting go a little at a time makes room for more to happen.
Keeping your mouth shut in that moment when you are dying to say something you’ll regret later is where a little peace begins.
I think a smile is a little bridge that assures another that they, too, belong and matter.
This is hard for me to believe, but somewhere in my heart of heart I know it’s true. Whatever small thing we do for another is actually done for everyone.
