Sunday, January 11, 2009

Little, But Big

In my usual procrastinatory style I'm here to enter a giveaway shortly before it ends, and to let you know about it with hardly anytime to enter yourself. Dontcha just love me?

Sariqd of
La la la laaaahhhh is hosting a giveaway. She has three Magical Munchie Popcorn kits to give to three winners. All you have to do is write a post about a time when someone did a "little" thing for you yet helped you tremendously. Oh, and you only have till Midnight tonight (Sunday the 11th) to get it done and leave Sariqd a comment so she knows you've entered. Got it? Good. Now move out of my way, I've got me some Magical Munchie Popcorn to win!

Little, But Big

For me it is usually the little things that mean the most when it comes to serving others (ok, I mean me). Big acts tend to scare me and make me suspicious, which is sad but it's just how I am. I also consider myself a pretty independent person and don't want big things. But, just one small action from another human being, something that shows me I'm not invisible, or that someone is thinking of me, and cares whether I'm happy or not, well, that is enough to bring me to tears. (Obviously!) Little acts of genuine kindness speak volumes about the person committing them. It shows that they are humble, caring, observant, and selfless. It makes them angels. So many times when a person has done me a small act of kindness they have been an answer to a prayer and that makes them angels in my book.

One instance I particularly remember was the angel who helped me get to my car. I had just given birth to my second child, I was suffering from severe post partum depression, my husband was away on a very long business trip, and I had just started the most difficult church calling I had ever been given. Pablo was a very colicky baby and I was running on very little sleep. Church was over and I was trying to carry a carseat with a baby, a large diaper/church bag, a big binder, and hold my very tiny Cookie's hand to get to my car. Of course I had several people ask if they could help me but I gave them all my standard smile and stiff upper lip as I independently said, "Thanks, but no, I've got it." Inside I was screaming, "Help me, don't listen to me, just help me!" As I approached the heavy doors wondering how I was going to get through them another woman asked me again, "Liz, do you need some help?" Before I could give her my standard smiley answer she said, "Oh, of course you do. Here, give me the baby. Where is your car?" She took the heavy carseat from my arms, pushed the door open with her back and helped me get my little family to my car. Once the babies were all buckled in she gave me a hug and rushed off to help her husband pack up their own 4 little children before I could even say thanks. I was so grateful I cried the whole way home, so glad that someone was willing to look past my strong facade and just help. She only lifted a carseat and a 7 pound baby, but she lifted 300 pounds from my shoulders and my heart. I had been feeling so lonely, so weary, and she made me feel noticed, cared for, and loved. She will never know just how much that meant to me but that is how angels work. They fly in, help where needed, and fly away again without waiting for reward or notice. The action may be little but the love felt is mighty big.

10 comments:

Joyful Noise said...

Beautiful! And inspiring! Thank you for your blog.

Debbie Nowland (Rebecca Nowland Johnson's mother and another "Healthy Habits" friend)

Amber M. said...

What a wonderful post...and a needed reminder to be an "angel" to those around us.

An Ordinary Mom said...

I hope I can learn to be more angelic.

Beautiful post!

Rachel said...

I don't have a clue how to write anything that well since I'm sitting here really loving how you totally touched me with that story!

So don't worry... you won't have an extra "competition" for that giveaway, but THANK YOU for sharing the story!

Michal said...

that was beautiful. and i'm with you. i remember once when i was 8 or 9 months pregnant with my fourth, that a couple of friends just showed up on my porch one afternoon with 2 jars of homemade marinara, a bag of pasta, some fresh bread, and a bag of salad. it was so sweet, completely unexpected, and made me feel like someone knew that my life wasn't always easy--and cared enough to offer some help. there are countless little "tender mercies" like this in our lives if we look for them, and the person offering the kindness is indeed an angel.

sariqd said...

Loved it! :) Thanks for participating!

Unknown said...

Sooo inspiring, my dear! I remember when I was engaged and moving to Colorado to get married. Half-way between UT and CO, my tire self-destructed, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere with my U-Haul.

A very selfless man who was going through his own set of trials pulled over, temporarily fixed it and even followed me 50 miles to the nearest town to make sure I received assistance. Guardian angel, for sure.

Lucy van Pelt said...

Yes, Sue Shulda had no idea how much I appreciated her offer to make rolls for my Christmas dinner. It wasw the one thing I didn't know when I would get done. I'm so grateful for those wonderful folks who know when to help out.

Scribbit said...

I really admire people like that--I'm usually the one saying 'can I help?' but being too stupid to notice the obvious things that could be done.

Helena Harper said...

What a lovely story! The power of small acts of kindness. Just think, if everyone acted like this,

'imagine the world we would create!
Each of us treating strangers
as our other half,
where nothing was too much
for the well-being of another
and selfishness was forgotten,
a thing of the past.'
(from my book 'Family and More - Enemies or Friends?')

Thank you very much for sharing.

Helena Harper
www.helenaharper.com
helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com