Little Things

I don’t know how many times I heard someone tell me, “It’s the little things that matter.”  Doubtlessly, I have said it myself.  Likely, there is more than an ounce of truth in it.  I am sure that I have accepted it as true, but never thought too much about it.  That is exactly what I want to do now: think about it.  I suspect in the end, it is spiritual.

I recall the words of famous basketball coach who had pithy sayings that were popular at one point.  Wooden was an extremely successful coach at UCLA, but he was more than a college coach. He was a philosopher replete with the wisdom one expects from philosophy, and I might add, spirituality.  He once said, “It’s the little details that are vital.  Little things make big things happen.”  When I consider this saying, the biblical story of the mustard seed comes to mind.  The mustard seed is quite small, but it turns into something pretty glorious.  Such is it with little things.  They can become big things, as Wooden says.  

In a more spiritual vein, Mother---now Saint---Teresa told us, “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”  She embodied this way of life---a spirituality---and become a miracle in the process.  Originally from Eastern Europe, this little woman wound up in Calcutta, India working with the poor.  She spent time with people whom most of us shun.  She formed a religious order of women from around the world who literally were willing to give their lives away to those who had nothing.  

I don’t know that I can emulate Saint Teresa.  I have been called, but not to that level and not in that place.  I am confident that she would not be disappointed in me.  I can imagine she would counsel that I do whatever I am called to do to the best of my ability.  Perhaps she would even warn me against undue aspirations.  I can hear her telling me if I am doing the work of the Spirit, it does not matter whether it is a big deal in the worldly sense.  Am I going to make the front page of the paper?  Why does that matter?  Do the little things and watch big things happen.  Sometimes that is difficult to trust.

That leads me to a quotation from Benjamin Franklin that I remember.  Franklin supposedly said, “Little strokes fell great oaks.”  I smile at this one, because that is the only way one person can bring down a big tree.  At one level, it might feel foolish to be handed a saw and told to cut the thing down.  Little strokes begin to make their way into the trunk and at some point, you know the big thing is coming down.  No doubt, Franklin metaphorically is asking us what are the “great oaks” in our lives?

When I was younger, the “great oak” might have been to get a college degree.  We all know we don’t do that in a summer.  It happens one course at a time over a period of time---little strokes.  Or we get married and have a child.  We can’t wait until the kid grows up and we see what the little ball of dynamite turns out to be!  But it takes eighteen years or twenty-eight years.   Not all little strokes are equal.  Some take us further down the road to big things and others may be detrimental or, at least, a waste of time.  But keep stroking and we get there. 

The last example I want to use came from a Thanksgiving reflection by Unitarian pastor, Daniel Schatz.  He told a story about Phillip Simmons who wrote a book, Learning to Fall, which I read and very much liked.  Simmons was college professor who was diagnosed with ALS---Lou Gehrig’s disease.  It became progressively worse and recently Simmons died.  

Simmons’ book brought some fame.  Schatz talks about getting to know Simmons, who shared this story.  He was interviewed one time and the interviewer asked what were the highlights of having ALS!  I love Simmons’ response: “You’ve got to be kidding.”  What a stupid question, I want to yell.  Humoring the questioner, Simmons came up with a great answer.  He confessed that the highlight was “Getting my fingernails cut this morning.”  He continued, “Here was Susan…my friend and nurse, trimming my nails as I sat warmed by the morning sun reflecting off the snow covered fields…and sipping coffee.”  One can almost feel the reality of that scene.  

And then Simmons shows me how spiritual this is.  He adds, “If we’re looking for what’s sacred, what’s holy---why look any further?  The sacred world is before our eyes and in our nostrils and beneath our feet.”  The sacred and the holy is right there in front of our eyes.  Too often we are looking somewhere else for the big thing---for God or a miracle or whatever.  We’ve got it and don’t see it.  We have it and don’t know it.  The little things make a big difference.  

I like how Simmons finishes his little story.  “If you’re looking for highlights, you’ll miss your life.”  That’s as good a statement as all those others I cited.  The little things do matter---especially in the spiritual realm.