We cannot all do great things….

i recently read a quote i’ve seen many times in the past, but for some reason it speaks to me on a much deeper level these days.

“we cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love." - mother teresa

i have spent much of my life this far thinking i will never amount to much. not that i’m a bad person mind you, but rather that i will never hold political office and make big changes in the world. that i will never be a protester/activist and try to stand up to “the man” (whomever that may be, depending on the rally). i will never lead a country peacefully toward change for the good of all. 

i bow my head down and do things in my own little world that i feel are right, but never thought of it as changing the world.

i try to purchase my wood from the small hardware store down the street and not shop at major corporations. i go to the farmer’s market every week to “grocery shop” and support my local farmers and what i believe to be a sustainable way of life for my self as well as my environment. i take the time to find out how my co-workers kids are. i try to show kindness and have contact with the people who surround me whether i know them or not. i try to be a good wife, a good citizen and a good person. 

and while these things are not making huge changes, great things - they are making small ones. every day i touch someone’s life in a positive way. i give money to someone trying to keep a shop open OR i help support a family OR i keep pesticides out of the air we breath OR i give someone who thinks they are unwanted or unneeded the smile they need to make their day a little better.

i am so thankful for the person who opens the door without my asking as i struggle with full arms. the friend who shares a story so i know i am not the only one going through this. the teacher who reminds me to breath. the client who hires me for a job even though i’m just learning and they may have been able to find someone more qualified, but they trust that i can do it.

these angels help me get through this world. they are precious to me. and then i read that quote and realized that i can be, that i am that angel for others. we are all in this world together just trying to make it through. i want to be one of the ones who helps those around me so we can all get there together.

always,

christel joy