IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

Over thirty two years ago, a week before Jon & I  got married, we had some special visitors.  My Uncle Karl and Aunt Lorene with their three daughters.  I was about to go to the temple and I was excited that they would be there to share that with me, just as they had when I was sealed to my family in 1961.

My uncle took me aside to share some very important ideas with me.  He told me he wanted to share what he had learned over the years.  It was the "little things" that would make us happy in our marriage.  We talked about a lot of things that afternoon, but that was the one that stuck with me.  What's funny is that he doesn't even remember that afternoon.

He gave me examples, but the one that really stuck with me was, Aunt Lorene always hung his shirts so that they all faced the same way on the rod.  They were both 31 when the got married and he had developed a lot of habits like that.  Now every time I hang up Jon's clothes, I catch myself facing them all the same way (Jon could care less and thinks it's kind of funny) and remember that little chat.  I also try to think of other "little things" that I can do to show Jon how important he is to me.

The last couple of weekends, Jon has turned the tables on me.  It is no easy task to take a sliding glass door out of its track to check the rollers it moves on.  It took two of us, but then he was able to remove the wheels, clean & oil them.  He saved us money and that helped me balance the budget.  The track is squeaky clean and the door can be moved with one finger, really.  The screen is repairable, and the big window in the family room can be moved easily, thanks to the new rollers installed in it.  I appreciate him every time I go to throw something in the trash, and there is no liner.  I know that he took it out for me without being asked.

When I get excited about these little chores, he just shrugs at me.  He also gets a funny little smile on his face that makes me feel warm & fuzzy all over.  Wouldn't life be so much happier if we could all remember to appreciate those "little things".  The world tells us that we "need" all this junk, mostly over priced, not necessary, and made to impress others.  Most of that stuff will wear out, go out of style, become just more "stuff" that is in our way.  It will clutter our lives, cause stress, frustrate us.

Right now, I would like to thank Uncle Karl for the "little thing" of those few minutes that he took to share with me.  Show me that he loved me and wished an eternity of joy and happiness for me & my new husband.  It has made a difference in my life. the lives of my children and now my grand children.