Enjoy the Little Things

I have a sign hanging on my wall that says "Enjoy the small things- for one day you may look ahead and realize they were the big things!" I think of this almost everyday especially when I reread the emails that my son sent from Iraq. He told how the small things start to take on more importance when you are far away from home and family and the familiar. I thought of this last weekend when I watched my nine-month old niece playing with measuring cups and spoons instead of the baby toys near her.

I think we live our lives too fast and usually looking ahead. We don't stop often enough to enjoy the simple pleasures or people around us. I'm reminded of this in my classroom when I'm trying to fit all of my lessons in and one of my students will interrupt with a funny anecdote or story. Kids can take small events and make them important. We should do the same.

I used to write in a gratitude journal every night. I was pretty faithful for a couple of years and then I just sorted of got bored with it or just didn't bother with it. I'm thinking I need to dig it out again. Many of the things I can be grateful for are the little blessings that come my way each day. It's a good exercise to remember to be thankful, for some day (and I'm afraid much too soon) I'll be doing more looking back than forward!

Speaking of little pleasures--Gathered From The Garden has sweet little Petite Perfumes. These are little roll-on bottles that fit great in your purse or pocket. Check out our website for prices and fragrances.