You know the old saying, "it's the little things that count"? Well, I had the opportunity this weekend to remind myself that really, it's about making the BIG THINGS count and overlooking the little things. Let me explain what I'm talking about.
I was annoyed with my family this past weekend -- I know, big surprise. Let me backtrack for a minute to mention a couple of things to help you understand MY state of mind: I went back to work last week; I have been getting up early every morning to exercise; I go to bed at night exhausted but CANNOT sleep even though I really, really want to; AND I have been carefully picking and choosing the food I eat (aka. starving).
So on to the cause of my annoyance... after a week away at work followed by evenings spent reading orientation materials or working on computer modules, the house was messy, definately neglected -- stuff dropped here and there, backpacks thrown on the kitchen floor, papers, textbooks, and assignments spread over the counters, water bottles in numerous rooms of the house, shoes everywhere, etc. I can handle a little clutter, but given the amount of stuff everywhere, it freaked me out! (Remember: tired, hungry, stressed Kristi) Anyway, I went off a little bit, definately feeling justified in my crankiness. And after I spewed anger and frustration over the Richards household, we started cleaning up.
I've mentioned before how I feel about cleaning... it's cathartic. I feel calmer when my surroundings are clean and organized. As I was cleaning, I found myself thinking about each of my kids... they are great kids.
Todd is funny, witty, usually in a good mood. He is the guy who gets up at 5am every morning to go to Seminary because he wants to get 100% attendance. If any of us should be stressed out and cranky, it is him. His day is endless. After Seminary, Todd goes to school, then football practice. He gets home sometime around 6pm to eat and then gets started on his homework. He usually rolls into bed after 10pm only to sleep for a few hours and start all over again. No downtime. And he handles it well. Todd is also the guy who loves his mom. He still hugs me and kisses me goodbye. He also tells me he loves me, even when he is IN FRONT OF HIS FRIENDS. Big things!
Madison is all things loving. She loves to be loved and she loves to make sure that each of us feels loved. She's our emotion barometer. And she is funny, silly, dramatic, such a good girl. She is smart, wants to do the right thing, and goes out of her way to make sure she applies the Golden Rule. She's my little night owl -- loves to stay up late -- but also our early bird. Go figure. These are the big things. And they are the things that matter.
So stressing about the house, fretting about whether there is toothpaste all over the vanity, or dirty dishes in the sink... LITTLE THINGS. And they really don't count much when stacked up against the big things. I realized that I really need to focus on the things that are important, the BIG THINGS.
apples. Of course we had to taste each type of apple as we were picking them just to ensure we really wanted that particular brand. And so we ended up with a few apples of several different varieties. Each of us had a different favorite, so fortunately, that is what we went home with.
