He tried his best to get those two little blocks to fit together, but just couldn’t do it. He began to cry and throw a tantrum right there on the floor. My heart broke as I wanted so badly to just do it for him. My aide said gently but firmly,
“Don’t do it, Kamille. He has to learn.”
I reached my arms out toward him and asked,
“What if I just guide his hands?”
She shook her head “no”.
We both cheered him on, but it was no use. He had already lost faith in himself. She picked him up, set him in his crib, and exited the room. Once he stopped crying, I walked over to the crib, picked him up and set him back down. Immediately, he walked right back over to those blocks. I smiled as I said,
“I know you can do it.”
He then put the two blocks together.

I’ve always loved this mural. It’s the little things, isn’t it?—Birds, flowers, children; Lying down in fresh, cool sheets after a long summer day, that first bite of your favorite meal, the smell of freshly baked cookies, seeing a baby take its first steps.

I recently saw a video of an elderly woman describe a core memory of hers. She was standing in the kitchen making dinner and she could hear her husband and children laughing together while playing in the living room. She smiled as she realized she would remember and cherish that one little moment for the rest of her existence.

When all is said and done, it’s the little things we will take with us. Not the degree, the job title, the house, the car, the bank account. No, the things we will want to remember are the things we truly cherish. My pastor once said, I’ve never heard of anyone ever being on their death bed and asking to see their trophies one last time.

Sometimes, we have to slow down to take it all in. We may get so caught up in life that we end up taking the little things for granted, sometimes even missing them altogether.

Someone once said to me, “You find so much meaning in the smallest things, and I love that about you.” Little did they know, that statement, too, was yet another little thing I’ll cherish forever.