Friday, August 19, 2011

Joy in Small Things

Let me always find joy in small things!  The everyday things that might easily have gone unnoticed are special gifts.

I've never noticed birds a great deal, but lately I'm learning how delightful they are.  Last month when we were backpacking there was a very bold red-headed woodpecker who was quite comfortable right out in the open in our campsite.  He kept an eye on us like the guardian of the forest, and we enjoyed his company.

There's a group of birds that congregate in the mornings to bathe in a big puddle that forms at the edge of the grass outside the window where I work.  What a delight when I'm starting my day to stop for a minute and watch them.  To say that they are bathing is an understatement; it looks more like a raucous dance as they change positions and get completely down into the water and shake for all they're worth.

And what a hoot watching the birds in our backyard, oh my goodness!  We hung a new bird feeder closer to the house, which is suspended by a string and able to spin around freely.  It has six little holes and posts for the birds to perch on as they eat, and it's really funny watching them holding on and spinning around like they're on a thrill ride at the fair.  Centrifugal force pushes some off, but they come back for more.  And there's that one determined soul who's sometimes left spinning around and around by himself like king of the hill.  What beautiful and fun moments, and all I had to do for them was stop and notice.

I'm learning to acknowledge small things, and be grateful for them.  I was looking for an important piece of mail recently and realized that it had probably been taken out by mistake with the recycling.  When I went to check there it was, right where the recycling had been, and it had either slipped out of the pile or had been on the bottom.  Little serendipitous things that seem random or like blind luck are gifts from heaven.

There are so many examples of perfect good at work, a much-needed break in traffic when we're late,  a song on the radio with exactly the lyrics we'd been needing to hear, or a stranger getting to the door at just the same time we do and opening it for us, because our arms are full.

I'm remembering to say thank you now when these things happen.  When we are grateful we make room for more good things in our lives, large and small.

May you always notice the grace in small things, and may this tool be a blessing. . .


6 comments:

  1. wonderful these little signs from the universe, right??? All creatures give us messages! In your case, woodpecker has this message:

    Woodpecker:

    Teaches us how to connect with the earth and how to ground ourselves in nature, shows us Rhythm, fertility, earth's heartbeat, increase of mental/physical activities, beat of life. Aids in our ability to find deeper meanings and hidden qualities of patterns and coincidences. Are you drumming and creating your own beat? Woodpecker will show you to accomplish this safely by awakening new mental faculties. He teaches to balance the spiritual and mental aspects with the physical world for harmony. Woodpecker shows tenacity, patience and straightforward actions to accomplish this. Listen carefully.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful! Many thanks, Therese.
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful piece you've wrote Sherry! I truly need to take this on board, from now on I will try and find joy in the small/simple things. Thank you for this inspiration! Be blessed!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes the simple things are important and always have gratiude for the small things. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love this post! It is very true..everyone needs to take a step back and enjoy all the small things in their life. This is the only way to reah a real state of happiness. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was a little down yesterday and was trying to regain my positive energy while having a foot reflexology. I tried to relax and tuned my mobile radio to a channel that I do not normally tune to when I heard Whitney Houston's "I Look To Him". God's always full of surprises!

    ReplyDelete