It IS the Little Things

Today I am grateful for fried eggs. I have enjoyed them my whole life, from farm-fresh eggs straight from the chickens when I was growing up, to making them at 2:00 in the morning when I would come home drunk in my late teens, to a quick supper when we are busy now.

Fried eggs. Pretty basic, pretty good. Gratitude takes the little things and helps me appreciate them, which makes me appreciate the big picture of my life more.

Last night as I read to my son, I was struck by how much this simple gesture means to me. We, but mostly me, have read to him nearly every night since he was a baby. From "Goodnight, Moon" to "Green Eggs and Ham" to "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" and "The Greatest Moments in Sports," we have covered many stories and repeated many dozens of times. And this bed-time reading often comes when I am tired and not the most patient anymore. I always seem able to summon up the energy to read and spend those few precious minutes with my 10-year-old.

I know there will come a time when he outgrows this routine, but that makes me appreciate each night we share this tradition even more. It IS the little things that make a BIG difference in helping me keep my priorities in life straight.

Look for the little things that make a big difference to you today.

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