Thanks for the Little Things

The theme of my A to Z Challenge posts this year is "Blogging Buffet." In celebration of recently posting my 1000th blog post, I am revisiting posts from the past.  This post originally published on Sunday, September 18, 2011.

Thanks for the Little Things

Today in church, a woman related an experience that reminded me of the importance of our small acts of kindness. She knew a woman who, as a girl, attended church due to an invitation to sing with the choir.  The chorister had no idea that the invitation she offered would have such far-reaching effects.  The girl continued to attend church because of the choir, and she grew up to have a family who actively participated in church.  Some of her children served missions, and they introduced others to the church.  This all came about because one chorister invited a girl to join the choir. 

It is easy for us to discount the impact we have on others, yet it is also easy to see the impact small acts of kindness have had on us.  Don't be discouraged if you think your contributions are small.  You never know the impact you might have.

I want to mention a few kindnesses I have experienced through the years.  This list is very incomplete.  I might end up making this topic a regular thread, because it will definitely take more than one post for my mind to remember even a fraction of the kindnesses I've received.  Also, if I tried to write everything in one post, it would take forever to read (and write!) 

Here is what comes to mind right now:

Thanks to Sister Thomas (Thompson?).  As a child, I always enjoyed listening to her because of her never-ending enthusiasm and constant smile.

Thanks to Yvonne, who backed me up in first grade when there was some discussion about what the sign on the classroom door said.  ("Grade 1")

Thanks to Cami.  When I was a leader in the young women's program, she called me once when she had car trouble and she couldn't reach her parents.  I felt like a real YW leader that day. 

Thanks to Lynae, Mimi, Laurie, Debbie, Laura, Gwen, Martha, Katie, Melanie, Sara, and any other walking/jogging buddy I've had over the years.  The cumulative hours spent talking have added up to some wonderful friendships.

Thanks to the stranger at the post office, who was patient with my young children as they slowly opened the door, and who even made a point to compliment my patience.

Thanks to the church teacher of my oldest son, who visited our house when my son was 3 and spent time talking about his favorite subject at the time, dinosaurs.

Thanks to Butch, who ran over just in time to catch the same son as he was falling out his window.

Thanks to Mimi, who scrubbed my bathroom floor when I was on bedrest, and somehow convinced me I was doing her a favor.

Thanks to Jenna and Julie, who spent countless hours on the phone with me during that bedridden pregnancy.


I'm going to bring this to a close right now, but I do want to continue this thread later.  I have many, many more examples to give. 

What small services have you received?