Little Things Can Be Big Deals
On a recent afternoon Donna received a call unlike any other she had ever received. Our oldest granddaughter was out doing some job hunting and called to ask if she could come by for a visit. That may seem like no big deal to many who read this, but it was a first for us.
You see, once our children “left the nest,” we had never lived in the same town with either of them. None of us had any opportunity to stop by and visit.
All of that changed about four years ago, when our son and his family moved to Paducah, but, at that time, neither of his children were old enough to have a license to drive. Our granddaughter has a couple of older cousins who have a license, but they live about three-and-a-half hours from here (and are now in college almost as far away). The chances of either of them “just dropping by” are just about nonexistent.
So, while a lot of grandparents have been blessed to be in the same community and maybe in the same neighborhood as their grandchildren for all of the grandchildren’s lives and see each other on a regular basis, this has not been our experience. A simple phone call and a relatively short visit meant a lot to us. A routine day became a special day.
The next day, I had to take one of our vehicles to be serviced. I knew that I would be there a while, so I took with me a list of people from our congregation whose health keeps them from attending our worship services and Bible classes. While our vehicle was being serviced, I found a place where I wouldn’t be disturbing anybody and called as many of them as I could.
I found out very quickly that what I saw as a productive use of my time was much more than that to some of those people. It was very evident both by how they talked and by what they said as they talked that a simple phone call was a big deal for them. Some of them even expressed some sadness because of the scarcity of phone calls they receive. I believe that there is such a thing as sensing a change in a person’s mood over the phone. I believe that because I experienced that during some of those calls.
Within the space of less than twenty-four hours, I had two experiences that validated some things I’ve always known, but often forget. One of those things is that something does not need to be elaborate, well-planned, spectacular, or expensive to be meaningful. Sometimes, something as simple as a visit or a phone call can make somebody’s day.
Another of those things that my experiences helped me to remember has to do with the importance of relationships. Real enjoyment and fulfillment in life does not come about because of possessions or position. The best things in life are the results of close, meaningful, loving relationships.
I’m thinking that instead of thinking of ways to have a great day, I need to think more about helping others to have a great day. I might be surprised by how many great days I have in the process of doing that.
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
