Enjoying the “Little” Things

By Shelly Burke, Editor

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” Robert Brault

I read this quote this morning and have been thinking about it all day! I scrapbooked with several college friends this weekend and of course we talked and laughed about college life and our lives since we’ve been together-- 20+ years! (We also talked about things that 20 years ago I’m sure we never even THOUGHT about—like facial wrinkles, house payments, and our kids who are now in college!)

Shelly, Mary, and Linda--college
friends and scrapbooking buddies

As we reminisced, we didn’t talk about the “big” things (classes, careers, or world events); the memories that made us laugh the most were the “little” things—pranks that made us laugh, silly comments and phrases and inside jokes we remembered.

I usually scrapbook specific events, and most often make pages for Cody and Morgan’s scrapbooks. This time I decided to make an album just for me, including pictures that make me smile and remind me of the good times with family and friends.  

I can't remember why my
sisters and I are doing "jazz
hands" behind my mom...but we
obviously thought it was very funny. 

Today, after I read this quote, I paged through the album I completed over the weekend. I quickly realized that even when the pictures were taken at an important event--Confirmation, a winning cattle show, an anniversary or holiday--it was the little things that made those pictures so precious--that millisecond in time that caught the perfect smiles, goofy faces and funny poses and precious moments that I am thankful I was a part of.

I hope that you will take the time every day to enjoy and thank God for the “little” things in life!

Thank you God, for the "little" things. Please help me to always recognize and enjoy them!

(I’m also blogging at www.nebraskafamilytimes.blogspot.com.

Click to read my thoughts, and, more importantly, God’s encouragement directions as for us, regarding the election.)

Giving Thanks for Coconuts

By Shelly Burke, Editor and Publisher, Nebraska Family Times

Since Thanksgiving is in November, I’ve decided to make November the month of “giving thanks.”

The Bible commands us to be thankful; Psalm 106:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” This command is repeated in Psalm 107:1 and 136:1. The Bible also tells us that we should be “always giving thanks…for everything.” (Ephesians 5:20) and that we should “…give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thess. 5:18).

(GoogleImages.com)

One of the things I’m most thankful for is the joy of being a mom. Cody will turn 21 this month, and Morgan will turn 19 next month. The years have just flown by! Every day this month I’m going to write about one of my memories of being a mom, and why I’m thankful for that experience or memory. And since I’m also thankful for my mom, she will probably be mentioned too. J

Today my memory has to do with…a coconut. Specifically, dropping that coconut…on Morgan’s head.

You see, one of my goals as a mom was to teach my kids about things they normally wouldn’t do/eat/see every day. One day in the grocery store Cody saw a coconut and asked what it was. He was fascinated by it so I decided to buy it so we could crack it, drink the liquid inside and taste it.

To crack the coconut the kids watched as I dropped it on the sidewalk outside of our house. I dropped it several times but it didn’t crack, so I decided to go up on the steps of our deck and drop it from that height. Unfortunately, Morgan walked under it at the exact moment I dropped it!

Thankfully she wasn’t hurt. She didn’t even cry, but gave me a very hurt look; she was only about 3 years old and just didn’t understand why mom would drop this strange-looking thing on her head! I was thankful that she wasn’t hurt, and the next “drop” successfully cracked the coconut and we did catch a few drops of the juice and enjoyed a few chunks of fresh coconut.

However, the memory both kids carry from that day is, “When mom dropped the coconut on Morgan’s head.” I belonged to a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group at the time, and one thing I always loved about MOPS was that no matter what experience I’d had, someone else had had the same experience…until I dropped the coconut on Morgan’s head. Until this day, no other mom has admitted doing the same to one of their kids. I guess I can also say that I’m thankful that I’ve done something to my little girl that no other mother has!

What have you done, as a mom, that no other mom will admit to? Share it in the comments!

(I’m also blogging at www.nebraskfamilytimes.blogspot.com;

read today why I’m so thankful for friends.)