Small Things
There’s nothing new under the sun is a comment that gets tossed around from time to time. I’d agree; however, it’s great to be reminded of them and to hear them in a fresh, new way. Such is the case with the book “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan. It is a short book I received for Christmas from Gretchen and Tom. Some quotes that I found interesting were: “A part of him wished it was a Monday morning, that he could just put his head down and drive on out the roads and lose himself in the mechanics of the ordinary.” Sometimes don’t we do just that. Lose ourselves in the mechanics of the ordinary? It’s much easier than facing the challenges around us. Going to work and applying myself to going over the next bulletin for Sunday, writing announcements, getting ready for chalking the door, and such is much easier than facing the ICE situation and figuring out what to do about the sticky political situation. At times we need to be about the ordinary to preserve our sanity, yet the extraordinary situations are there calling for our attention.
Another part of the book states: “He found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?….Never once in his whole unremarkable life had he known a happiness akin to it.” Even if we eliminate the word Christian and simply add in “human being”, the words are so very true. I remember when I worked for Comprehensive Psychiatric Services typing up all the psychiatrist’s notes, hearing over and over how they would tell patients to get involved volunteering and helping others and losing themselves and their problems. It’s what makes life worthwhile - helping others and losing ourselves - getting out of the routine things - being brave enough to step into the soup kitchen, homeless shelter, listening to a friend over coffee in a coffee shop, or any other place that helps others. It makes life remarkable.
Another portion stated: “To get the best out of people, you must always treat them well.” Not you should, but you must. We all want to be treated well. It’s basic. Who have you treated well today? Who will you treat well tomorrow? Sometimes those we are closest to are the ones we treat the hardest, when they are the ones we should treat the best, eh?
Anyway, there are several other truisms in the book stated a tad differently that rung true for me and reminded me that I need to take heed to follow them in my life. If you’d like to read the book, just let me know. I’d be happy to get my copy to you.
