Monday, August 12, 2013

It's The Little Things...












































































Have you ever noticed that the little things can bring such joy to an ordinary day, can comfort and sustain, can bring a smile where maybe there wasn't one before?  That little glass creamer bottle with a sprinkling of flowers calms me whenever I walk by it.  The strawberry handmade by Heather brings me a smile whenever I walk in the kitchen.  I ordered some beautiful items from Heather and she took the time to add all these lovely touches…it's the little things.

Moving has been hard.  What I've noticed in the 2 1/2 months that we've been here is how much I miss the little things.  I walk into the grocery store as an invisible shopper.  No one smiles, no hello.  I pulled up some day lilies over the weekend and set them by the road thinking that I'd meet some neighbors.  All the plants disappeared but not one hello.  We come and go to various churches as we search for a new church home and I am surprised to know that we are invisible there as well.  I didn't realize how much this was affecting me until we ran into some acquaintances we know through college baseball.  I was asked how I was and this person kindly touched my arm and it almost brought me to tears...it's the little things.

I'm not telling you this to have you feel sorry for me.  This has caused me to open my eyes to my own behavior and I thought perhaps we could learn together.  I walked by plenty of people at church hurrying to get to my pew and my friends.  I breezed through the grocery store intent on my list and not the lady next to me.  How many people needed a hand on their shoulder or someone to look them in the eye and ask how they were and then stayed long enough to hear their response?  Why do we always have to be in such a hurry?

God has taken me right out of my comfort zone and placed in me in the wilderness.  I know he's here with me and that his plans will be revealed.  I know this is going to hurt for a while.  I also know that God wastes nothing so today I'm going to be looking around me with a set of brand new eyes and looking for ways to bring joy to others through the little things.

Hugs, 

14 comments:

  1. Nice post for Monday morning.

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  2. Oh Renee this just breaks my heart. I miss you so much.... Can't imagine anyone not wanting to meet you.

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  3. Such a touching post this morning. Wishing you many joys through this week. :) Big Hugs! xox Holly

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  4. A wonderful reflective post! God is always leading and teaching us! At least you are paying attention. We all need to do that on a daily basis. Thank you for your learning experience.

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  5. Wow, you are living the life I moved into 5 years ago. I raised all my daughters in the Wyoming area and lived in the same home for 28 years. We moved north of Howard City onto 10 acres in the middle of the woods 5 years ago an hours away from all my favorite spots, church and over an hour away from all my friends. I have found a church but I just recently started getting involved and really meeting the other women that are there. It took the pastor walking up to me and asking if I would help with Vacation Bible School. I have felt the same way. I shop at the local grocery and go to the local library and still do not know a soul and no one really tries to get to know you even after trying to start a conversation. The local quilt shop closed so the relationships I tried to start there ended. I understand compleatly the way you are feeling and also understand the need to make the first steps ourselves. I hope and pray your way will become more joyfull soon.

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  6. I can really relate to your circumstances too. I'm an Army wife, so we move every two years or so. It is hard being "invisible" for a while. I feel as though I have developed shallow, but strong roots. They get pulled up often, hence being shallow, but strong because I have learned to push them in--go to churches, get involved, join the quilt guild. This last place that we have lived, here in Southern Virgina, has been learning experience for me NOT because of every other moves when I have felt just like you, but because it has been the opposite--people have extended a hand and been friendly. Just like for you, seeing this welcoming behavior has been an epiphany. I plan to model it. The thing that touched me most was when a fellow guild member actually called me and invited me to car pool with her as we live in the same neighborhood. We had met briefly before, but she remembered my name and tracked down my number. How many times have I considered doing that for someone else but haven't? I guess I'm going on a bit. I do understand how you feel though. In fact, in our family, it is a common saying that as soon as we see someone we know in the commissary (the military grocery store) then it must be time to move!

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  7. Thank you for sharing this sweet Renee! God is so good and is always working in our lives! I know that He has great plans for you in your new home and area!! Praying for many sweet blessings and joys for you!! xo Heather

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  8. After growing up in Northern Illinois we moved to Pittsburgh, PA and spent 15 years there, making it our "new" home. I thought we'd always stay there, even after we retired. However, on a vacation to Northern Michigan (Traverse City area) we fell in love with the land, the people and the "feeling" of the place. Last year I retired to our home in Northern Michigan while my husband finished up his career in Pittsburgh. He has since moved here but during the 8 months I lived here alone I felt like a fish out of water. Our neighbors are very friendly but they work all day and on weekends have their children or grandchildren. My DH isn't a very "social" kind of person though he will tag along when I make social obligations for us. I joined the guild here and met a number of great women who I considered friends. Whenever I go to a farmer's market or the grocery store or into ANY store for that matter I try and make eye contact with people. I call the clerks by their names when they wait on me (they all seem to wear badges with their names on them) and I smile openly at people when I walk in our little downtown area. We have a lot tourists/visitors to the area which lends a "transient" feeling to trying to put down roots. What about a book club at your local library? Does your local hospital have a volunteer group? What about a garden club? You'd be amazed at what you can find if you Google things. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers ... just keep your heart open to God's plan and He will reveal it to you in time. Linda

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  9. Oh, boy, did your words strike a chord with me today. My family has also been uprooted recently from CO to CA and it has been a huge change! Since we have no extended family here and we do not know anyone it has been lonely. How I wish I would run into someone I know, a familiar face! But, like you, I walk anonymously through isles and down the block to the mailbox. No hellos or friendly chatting so far. I have not even begun looking for a church for fear of not finding something akin to what we once had in a church family. I know the Lord has a plan but just now, it is so hard to see past this loneliness. It will get better! It must get better! God bless you and I am going to begin on my own endeavor to bring the smiles and the hellos wherever I go! Thanks!

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  10. Renee, isn't it so like God to take us out of our comfort zone in order for us to see and recognize our need to be all that He wants us to be? We all want to be on the receiving end instead of on the giving end but that's not what He wants. He wants us to be His servant, to be used to glorify Him and you being in 'the wilderness' may be what it takes for you to be more like Him. You're heading in the right direction, my friend, and you're right...He is with you every step of the way. Keep your eyes on Him. You will be blessed!

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  11. Such a great post Renee. Thank you for reminding us to be aware of those around us. We have all been the new kid in town. Give it time, God will find just the right people into your life. Patty

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  12. Change can be so hard. Your post reminds us that we all have a lot to learn. I'm sure, in time, you will feel right at home.

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  13. I am catching up on my friends posts and I can really relate to this post Renee! Earl and I had the same experience when we were looking for a new church. Our daughters were the 5th generation to got to the church he grew up in and when we left it, we had our eyes opened to what it is like to be in a new place waiting to see where we would fit in! It's a whole new experience but it made us reach out more, be friendlier, try harder to include others. It was a growing experience that turned out to enrich our lives in a very big way. Pray through it, you are where God placed you for a reason.

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  14. Every time we had to move - and there were several - it was hard at first. None so difficult as the one when my children were 18 months, 10 and 13. We moved to a place about 4 hours from everything I knew to a place where I knew no one, where I had a job but no babysitter, where we couldn't find a decent place to rent and ended up with a house that had green striped kitchen cabinets (yes I said green stripes) and one of the bedrooms was orange (orange rug, orange walls, orange built in bunkbeds). That house had been a veterinary clinic just prior to our moving in and smelled like...dogs. Wet dogs. We moved in August, the babysitter that was recommended to me had a broken arm the first day I took my toddler, Elvis died 3 weeks later, (don't laugh, it was traumatic for this child of the sixties!), my grandfather died in October and I had to have surgery in December. My husband was working a 12 hour a day job. That first year I just kept asking God exactly what lesson He was trying to teach me because I needed extra help or a tutor or something. Eventually I grew to love it there...but like all things time passing is the key factor. You build a life in a place by taking one small step at a time. Church is the foundation for everything else but gradually you add the familiar face when you walk in the neighborhood, a friendly clerk at the pharmacy, the mother of your kid's new best friend. Savor the aloneness, the silence....you'll look back one of these days out of your busy-ness and wonder how you got from there to here. blessings, marlene

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