It Was A Small Thing

Do you ever stop to think that those little things you say, maybe in an off-handed way, might, just might mean so much to the person you just spoke it to?

For example, I was going to open a business account at a bank. I had made an appointment and had given them the proper documents in advance.

 Joshua, the man that had spoken to me and had set this up, called me back to verify some things prior to my date. He asked how I was and all the proper pre-conversation foreplay.  I am wonderful, I chime out.  It was decided among us that it would not be beneficial to me or to the bank to proceed. Joshua then said he would delete me. I giggled, Joshua stopped talking. Remember when you asked me how I was a moment ago and I said wonderful? “Yes”, well being deleted is not exactly how I pictured my day starting off and going on today. “Oh, no” he cries out. “That is not what I meant!” Joshua! I am just messing with you.  “Oh!” He starts laughing. “You have just made my day! It started off bad and has been steadily going to worse.  Seriously, you have made me smile and laugh. Thank you.” My pleasure Joshua, Merry Christmas.

It was just a tiny thing I had said. It meant so much to Joshua.

When I am at an event and am going to photograph during the event I like to sit on the outskirts so as not to bother others. This is what I had done at my club meeting. Everyone else sat in groups at their regular tables. Nobody sat near me which was fine until a man I have known for a couple years walked in and snubbed me. Now he has done this on four separate occasions and to be honest I am not sure if it is on purpose or accident. He looks right at me then looks away avoiding eye contact for the next hour as though I might be Medusa and will turn him to stone. Everyone else is friendly and while not attempting to me my best bud they are polite and greet me except this guy. For some reason it hurt my delicate fragile girl feelings this time. I went through my memory chamber for anything I had done to offend him and came up empty. This further upset me because now I assumed I had accidentally done something and had no way of knowing and apologizing for the offense.  Eventually another club member arrives and takes up a seat next to me. Another friend at another table begs her to move over but she refuses hesitantly. I tell her, go I am going to be bumbling around photographing and may be a distraction. She refuses to move. So the other friend moves over to the table we are at.  I am still fussy about the snub when during the course of the meeting after a photograph of the two friends she looks over and tosses me an “I love you,” after I let her approve the photo I just took, “you know what I like”.

Now that little phrase may not have been important to her and was just tossed at me and is her personality but at that moment it meant so much to me.

Just the smallest thing sometimes makes everything so much better.  In my devotional this morning was a tale from WWI -1914 about a gesture made by King George and Queen Mary at Christmas. I have linked an article about the Christmas cards 

so you can read it on your own and see the two cards that were sent. It is a short read. A small gesture that probably meant so much to those who received them. Especially the wounded in hospitals and recovering.

Small things can be so big sometimes.

Try it!