One Little Something

Photo Credit:  jmiltenburg from morgueFile.com

Surprise!  An early Sips this week…

Father Ramsey shared a story at Mass this past weekend.  It went a little something like this:

There was a retired couple, Frank and Sally, who lived up north and they had had enough of the bitter cold weather.  They decided to take a trip down to Florida to warm up.  They planned their flight and then something came up for Sally.  Frank decided to go ahead and leave as planned to get their vacation home ready.  Sally was to join him the following day.

When Frank got there, he unpacked and freshened up their place.  Not being very savvy with technology, he made a feeble attempt to send his wife a quick e-mail.  He did pretty well, but inadvertently missed one letter in her e-mail address.

The e-mail didn’t make it to Sally, but it did happen to be another woman’s address and made it to her inbox instead.  This particular woman had just lost her husband (also named Frank) and had in fact buried him that very day.

While sitting at the computer that evening, going through all of the e-mailed sympathy notes, she came to one in particular that made her fall out of her chair.  Her grown children heard the commotion from the other room and came immediately to check on their mother.  Not being able to get many answers from their mom, they noticed an e-mail from Frank.  It read:

“Arrived safely.  Man, it’s HOT down here!  See ya tomorrow!”

And there ya have it!  One little letter made a BIG impact didn’t it?!  Whew!

I often think of how “one little something” can really affect other people’s lives…especially if that “one little something” is combined with other “one little somethings.”

For instance, my friend, Randall, shared a story on facebook the other day that was inspiring...and now I’m passing it on to you.  He called it “Pennies from Heaven.”  He said that his mom always told him never to be too proud to pick up a penny on the ground.  Now that his parents have passed away, he continues to pick up pennies.  The heads-up pennies are his dad saying hi and the tails-up pennies are his mom sending her love.

He said he always seems to find pennies when he has achieved something or when he’s having a tough time.  Not only is it comforting to find penny love from his parents, it also adds up. 

Randall started a project in 2011, on his dad’s birthday, August 1^st.  From August 1^st to July 31^st he collects the money he finds on the ground – pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars.  In 2011-2012, he found $32.17 and went to a local steakhouse.  In 2012-2013, he found $61.62 and had an even bigger steak – woo-hoo!  Looking at the trend, I can’t wait to see what Randall does with the 90-something dollars he’s likely to find this go around!

The point is that one little penny combined with many other little pennies really can add up to make a difference.  Just ask Randall.

A theater production is another event in which many, many God-given talents combined together can bring so much joy to others.  My husband and I took our children to see Beauty and the Beast last week at our local theatre.  To say that it was breath-taking is putting it mildly.  Our 4-year-old daughter almost started crying when she thought it was over at intermission.  We were on the edge of our seats in admiration of the amazing voices, acting, costumes, set, props…pure talent…alive on that stage that evening.  It was New York City right here in south Texas!

One person’s incredible talent, combined with another, plus another, plus another and we were able to enjoy a spectacular show that we won’t soon forget.  It was the combination of gifted actors and actresses that left us thirsting for more.  But, if you would’ve taken out any one of them, it would not have been the same.

One letter, one penny, one actor or actress…“one little something” that made a big difference.

So, this also reminds me that any action, no matter how seemingly small, can make an impact.  The whole pay-it-forward thing always brings a smile to my face.  Why?  Because it works.

One person feeling loved will more likely have the ability to extend love to another.  One person being told that they are good at something will then have the courage to tell someone the same.  One person being told that they are appreciated will be more apt to show appreciation in return.

After all, when we meet our Maker at the Pearly Gates, He won’t ask what car we drove, how big our house was, or how much stuff we acquired.  He’ll ask, “Did you love?”  Thank you, Father Ramsey, for that reminder.  And, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the heart is the main symbol for love.  We can’t live without our heart, just as we can’t truly live without love.

Now, what “one little something” can WE do this week to love like Him?  Let’s look for all the opportunities, even if sometimes we have to squint.  And, let’s pick up that Bible too – we don’t want to be caught cramming for finals at the very last minute – that never works out too well – hee hee!

Have a great week, Sunshines!