If history were stretched out like a volley-ball net between two poles, my life would be a mere speck of dust on one of the net-strands, barely visible to the casual observer.
I was thinking today about "milestones" in my life that I have celebrated and will celebrate, doors opening and doors closing. The seem like a "big deal" to me, but they are really the small things in life.
I celebrated my 17th birthday last summer and then entered my senior year of high school. This was a big milestone for me personally, as seventeen, senior, and driver are making for an exceptionally enjoyable year so far.
Next summer, I will be 18. That means that I will shut the door on childhood and being a "teenager", and open the door to adulthood. I don't mind opening the door to adulthood, that's exciting! It's the shutting of the childhood door, the shutting of it forever, that makes me a little nervous.
Little things that are big things to me...
Senior pictures. Prayers & tears shared with friends over a bump in life's road. Blog posts. College dreams. Whispers with a friend about a boy. Belly-laughing at a (probably dumb) joke. Smelling the autumn air. Watching leaves turn color. Standing, alone, in the middle of open space and feeling the energy of the wind. Eating ice cream at 2am. Pure & holy heart-worship with fellow believers. A road trip just because.
Little things in history, big things to me.
The funny thing about all of this is: Who really cares? Does anyone? In the grand scheme of things, will someone who's not a casual observer ever care to look at my dust-speck life? To see my senior pictures or listen to why I want to go to college?
On a global scale, no one probably will. And I am totally okay with that.
On a local, intimate, friend-scale: yes, they care. My family cares. My friends care. Even my friends' parents' care. And I care about their dust-speck life, hearing their dreams and praying for their decisions.
It's the "small people", the "ordinary" friends that make life extraordinary. It's the day-to-day minutes of belly-laughter or clasped hands & tears with our quiet circle of co- speck-dusters that makes this life worth it.
The reason that we are in this together?
Love.
It's an over-used word, one that we ascribe to everything from food to fabulous people.
But True Love? Well, to quote Ann Voskamp, "True love is carved, not found."
And to care, you must have someone to carve with. Look around at the people God has placed in your life ~ are you spending time treasuring the memories, the milestones, and the doors, or are you rushing through life to the next "big thing" with "big people"?
It's truly the small things that bring the greatest joy.
So it's the small things I will live for.