In my normal routine, I drive to work Monday through Friday. My husband likes for me to call him when I arrive at work, to let him know that I got there safely. My husband will later send me an “I love you” text, which I answer. And I have friend who sends me a “Good morning” text message each day. On my lunch break, via my cell phone app, I get on our Furbo. This is a neat little device with which you can see your pets, talk to them, and even throw them treats. Then I call my hubby for a few minutes. When I leave work, I call my husband for a few minutes again. Then on the remainder of the drive home, I often listen to praise music, usually streaming from my phone. And on most days, my sister and I will also text each other about different things that are going on in our lives.
I recently had an odd week and wasn’t able to follow the routine on two of the days. On Sunday my phone had died. We live in a small town and no one was able to look at it, since it was Sunday. So my husband took my phone on Monday to see if it could be fixed. It couldn’t, sadly. Therefore, I had to get a new phone.
However, this meant on Monday I had to drive to and from work without a cell phone. While I don’t like being glued to my phone, as people are these days, it made me thankful for the technology we have. My commute is fifty miles one way. I felt uneasy about driving all that way without access to a phone. My husband did offer to drive me, but I knew my worries were a little farfetched, so I declined. He also offered to give me his phone. But we do not have a landline, so that meant he would have been without a phone. Therefore, I declined that offer as well. By the grace of God, all went well. On that day, I was especially thankful for a reliable car and for God’s protection.
But as James R. Coggins pointed out recently in his post “The Man on the Park Bench,” life these days appears hopeless when you lose your cell phone. This story that James shared has so much truth to it. And I felt the pains of it recently. Even when I did get a new phone, I had to stumble along as I added apps onto my phone, tried to remember passwords, and so on.
On Thursday of this same week, while on my way home, there was an accident on the interstate. I was stuck in traffic and even turned my car off for a while. I was thankful that I had a new cell phone, so I could tell my husband I would be late. Years ago when we didn’t have this advantage, spouses would arrive home late, while their mates worried about what was keeping them.
As I sat in traffic and thought about this, it also made me thankful for my husband and how much we communicate throughout the day. I realize not all spouses are like this. They might not even bother to tell their husband or wife that they are going to be late. They might not talk to their spouse every day on their lunch break or on their way home. And when I saw my spouse that evening, I was sure to let him know that I appreciated him.
I also have a few coworkers who drive this road. When one of us knows of an incident, we are usually good about sharing with each other. A few weeks prior, one of my coworkers emailed a few of us about an incident that caused traffic to be backed up. So on this particular Thursday, since I was parked on the interstate, I was able to return the favor. I was thankful for the technology to do so, and for knowing I had thoughtful coworkers who looked out for one another.
I was thankful for my sister, who lives hundreds of miles away, yet who stays in contact with me throughout the week. And I was thankful for my friend who texts me each day, just to check in.
These two incidents that happened within only a few days of each other have made me take note of the little things in life. We have so much to be thankful for, yet we often take many of those things for granted. I try to live a life of gratitude. Each evening I try to think of several things that I was grateful for within my day. But I too often miss the small things in life. These incidents have encouraged me to be more thankful for the blessings all around us. Will you take some time today to take note of all the little blessings God has planted in your life?
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. – Psalm 95:1-2
© 2021 Bridget A. Thomas
Christians Read 
I often find it’s the smallest of things that mean the most in life. God’s every day “freebies” like a wild flower, a cloud, a bird chirping, watching a little one play, getting a wave from an elderly neighbor….tomorrow the flower will be gone, the cloud will disappear, the bird will have flown away, the little one won’t be as little and the neighbor may pass away. Look at all you would have missed!
There’s an old song called “Little Things Mean a Lot” and I believe it with all my heart. We all have different lives, schedules and interests but we all are blessed daily by the same Heavenly Father with daily “freebies”. Thank you for such a lovely reminder to be grateful for blessings we take for granted…both large and small, Bridget! You are so special !!
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What you said is so true! I was thinking this morning as I was driving into work that the little things ARE the big things in life. The little things make up our life and we often overlook them. But God has placed so many small blessings in our paths, every day. I had not heard that song before (or at least I don’t remember it). But I just listened to it. Beautiful and really makes you think about your perspective. I am so glad you enjoyed the post. Blessings to you, my friend! ❤️
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Some years ago, a woman I knew through my church denomination sent me a copy of her autobiography. She grew up in northern Saskatchewan before her area had electricity or phone lines. When she was 16, she was sent off to a community miles away to help a farm wife who had a new baby as well as several other children. This was a common practice then. After a month or so when the mother was able to care for her family on her own, it was time for the 16-year-old to return home. She had no way to let her family know she was returning. She took the train to the nearest train station and then walked 11 miles down country roads to get home. It was a different time, and this too was normal. She arrived home safely.
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Wow, it is so difficult to imagine not being able to communicate with our families like we do today. But as you said, it was normal back then. I wonder if this meant people worried less because they just had to accept that they couldn’t communicate. Or did they worry more, because they had no way of knowing how their loved ones were doing. Thanks for sharing that story. It is one that will certainly make you think and perhaps change your perspective.
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I love this reminder. Little things often turn out to be the big things.
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So true. The little things can bring so much joy when we take the time to pause and look around. ❤️
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❤
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I just had the same reminder yesterday about taking things for granted. Since the pandemic, my little nearby Methodist church has been streaming its services. I’ve been totally thrown off because their service didn’t stream yesterday. I can’t seem to get things together. I’m hoping they’ll be back next Sunday and that it was a temporary glitch! I genuinely missed their service. I tried a different church, but it didn’t resonate for me in the same way. Can’t help but laugh at myself.
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Ironically, our power and cable went out yesterday morning. So we too were unable to watch our normal services. (And my husband and I even talked about the devil purposely sabotaging things to keep us from attending church.) So, I can understand how you felt yesterday. But you are right – When our routines are thrown off like that, it does help us to learn to appreciate those things! 😊
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