A 'thank you' can be powerful. A 'thank you' lifts. A 'thank you' shows appreciation. A 'thank you' connects. A 'thank you' adds value. I often say "thank you" to my employees. Two of them have responded over the years with words to this effect: “You don’t have to say thank you to me. This was part of my job.” I believe that a 'thank you' is a gift. A gift transcends the realm of “have to.” A 'thank you' can make a moment. A 'thank you' can transform a day.
A phone call can be powerful. A phone call to those outside of our usual phone circle can mean a lot. Such a call says, “I thought of you;” “I cared enough to take the time to call you;” “You matter to me.” Sometimes I call people out of the clear blue. I just want to connect with them in that moment. The connection via a phone call becomes a gift to them and to me. These phone calls usually take just a minute or two. A phone call is a little thing.
An enthusiastic greeting to those we encounter can be so powerful. A 'good morning' can brighten the day. A 'good evening' can soothe the night. Our greeting cannot be perfunctory. It must really wish a good morning. It must really wish a good evening. A good greeting infuses the moment. I greet people even if I just greeted them earlier. A greeting does not have to contain the same words. Greetings say, “I acknowledge you and your value.” A greeting is a little thing. Little things can be so powerful.
Words on special occasions can be powerful. I call people on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Some of the calls are documented in Sketches. Quite often I cannot reach the person in that moment, so I leave a voice mail. My daughter Malika Sanders Fortier, who is now a member of the Alabama Senate, said: “Daddy, I have been stopped so many times by people who played your recorded call from their voice mail. They were so proud. It meant so much to them.” A wish on a birthday is a little thing. A 'congratulation' on a special occasion is a little thing.
It is powerful to acknowledge people. It is powerful to acknowledge things about people. It can be a good spirit. It can be their helpfulness. It can be their looks. It can be their children. It can be a moment of being well-spoken. It can be a job well done. It can pertain to clothes, cars, homes, or other aspects of ownership. I try to acknowledge people in all of their dimensions. Acknowledging people is a little thing.
A text can be powerful. A text takes just seconds to create and yet can move a moment. I have learned to text more and to receive texts in their full spirit. I used to resent and resist texts. A text at the right moment can lift a spirit. A text to the right person at the right time can touch a heart, a spirit, a being. A text is a little thing. Little things can be so powerful.
A touch can be powerful. A touch connects bodies and spirits. A touch is a symbol of coming together in the moment. The touch may be on the hand, arm, shoulder, back, face or other places on the body. A touch says, I care; I connect to you; I lift you. A touch enhances relationships in the moment. A touch conveys so much. A touch is a little thing.
Hugs can be powerful. Hugs multiply a touch. Hugs multiply acknowledgments. Hugs multiply phone calls. Hugs multiply other communications. Hugs make us see people differently. Hugs make people see us differently. Hugs are powerful. Hugs are little things.
A smile can be powerful. A smile travels across time and space to touch a mind, a heart, a spirit. A smile is a little thing.
Laughter can be powerful. Laughter builds on the inside and bursts forth to the outside. Laughter is therapeutic. Laughter changes relationships with ourselves and with each other. Laughter moves from one to the other. Laughter is a little thing.
Little things can become big things. Little things can combine with other little things to become big things. Each little thing enlarges, expands, and multiplies the other little thing. Little things can be so powerful.
EPILOGUE – We never know how little things will grow. A seed is a small thing that can grow into mighty trees. We never know how little things will combine with other little things to transform lives. Two little hydrogen molecules and a little oxygen molecule come together to form water, which sustains the world. I have discovered there are no little things; there are only little things that become big things.
No comments:
Post a Comment