Multitudes on Monday: When the Small Stuff Becomes our Grandest Gifts
He’d been a barefooted treasure hunter all day.
He’d stooped low and combed the sand, had waded slow and rescued seaside trinkets sparkling just beneath the clear blue water.
He’d plucked and picked, excavated and celebrated.
He’d planned to be selective, had promised to fill just one bucket with his very best finds.
But in the end, he couldn’t choose.
He was enamored with them all…
The small ones and shimmering ones,
“They’re just all so beautiful, Mommy,” he’d said apologetically as he piled his favorites beside his overflowing bucket.
And who was I to disagree?
By the day’s end, he’d stashed treasure in the pockets of his swimming suit and piled shells in his inverted farmer’s cap that was supposed to have protected his fair head from sunburn, and then; right before we headed home, he’d tucked one last fragile heap in the cusp of his gritty bare hands.
As the orange sun had sunk below the inky water, my shell-seeker’s happy dance had slowed to a hobble.
And when we’d traipsed across the boardwalk that led us home for the night, I’d noticed my treasure-seeker was moving with a faint limp.
Once inside, I’d plopped him in the bathtub and we’d begun to scrub away the grime of the day.
As Joshua had soaked beneath the bubbles, I’d inspected the slash on his sole and wondered what had happened to leave such an imprint on his pale pink feet.
My boy had performed plenty of groovy dances in the sand and had jumped for joy in the cold blue water, but I couldn’t recall one single time throughout the day that Joshua had complained of an aching foot.
“What happened?” I’d asked, my hand cupping his sudsy foot.
“Oh, I think I got something stuck in my swim sock.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I’d asked, thinking how simple it would have been to empty out my son’s shoe and alleviate the discomfort.
Joshua had shrugged his slender shoulders and replied, “It was just a small thing, Mom.”
I’d wrapped my soap-scented son in a fuzzy dry towel, and then picked up his wet green swim sock and turned it upside down with a shake.
When nothing had fallen out, I’d peered inside and spotted a small seashell lodged in the squishy foam lining of the soaked beach shoes.
I’d reached for the stuck sliver, plucked it from the lining and held it up to the light.
In the words of my little boy, it was just so beautiful.
The pink and purple hues streaking across the tiny sea-fan mimicked the colors of the ocean sunset we’d just witnessed at dusk.
And when I’d rotated the shell in my hand, I’d noticed a subtle shimmer on its smooth interior.
The same shell that had settled in my son’s shoe and turned into a nuisance underfoot would have been counted as a treasure if he’d carried it in his hand.
Perhaps small things are like that.
When we race past subtle beauty with hurried steps and frenzied plans, the small things just get trampled.
They puncture our patience and lacerate our joy, like that little pink and purple shell stuck in Joshua’s swim sock.
And if we lift those slivers to Heaven and polish them with praise; then maybe, we’ll find that our small lives aren’t nearly big enough to contain all of our heart’s treasures. The Overflow: “Who dares despise the day of small things….” -Zechariah 4:10
Counting these small things as grand gifts...
1401. The way she belly laughs at the kitty’s play
1402. The way the light drizzles through the morning haze
1403. The first red leaf on our burning bush
1404. The smell of campfires in the crisp evening air
1405. The way his green eyes light up when he tells about that goal he scored
1406. Crumpled blue scrubs in the laundry basket
1407. A soft blanket to wrap up in at the chilly morning soccer game; a small warm body in my lap.
1408. The quiet purr of little gray kitty.
1409. A shaft of yellow moonlight on the front step.
1411. Hannah’s car conversation… “I’ve been praying for a servant’s heart lately, Mom. And I really think God’s answering my prayer…”
So much we can learn from little hearts! Love that! Yay for a first red leaf! 🙂
I am afraid I am a bit like your boy when it comes to shell collecting :). I love this takeaway–
They can either make us dance or limp, depending on where we carry them.
Isn’t that the truth?
Lifting it all up to Him…
A modern parable writer you are, Alicia, even if the stories are true, you turn them into glorious life lessons for all to appreciate. Not to mention your gift of showing. While so many tell, tell, tell, you simply paint clear word pictures. This is a gift from God to you. Thank you for unwrapping it and sharing.
Oh, I love the way you see, Alicia. You never fail to inspire me with your stories that speak so well to life.
Oh, you inspire me to treasure every little thing, friend.
Yes, the little becomes the big when we do that, I think.
Gorgeous words and so blessed by your spirit.
I just love your sweet stories.
What a perspective of gratitude this is to view the shell in a different light.
It reminds me that a challenge today is a peak acheived tomorrow where the view is magnificent.
It comes down to how we view everything in our world.
Thanks for sharing this blessing today!
sweet…sweet story…reminds of the story of the making of the pearl…love #1411 how sweet. blessings~