ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with The Reverend Canon Grace Thomas.

Good morning.

‘This is incredible!’ came the text from my youngest daughter. Within a few seconds, another pinged on my phone that simply read ‘life changed’.

What, you may ask, had caused her to write these two short messages to me? I can’t imagine many of you thought that it would be the macaroni cheese I had cooked for tea, before heading out to an evening meeting.

I love moments like this - daft, fleeting moments that make me smile. Little conversations, or jokes or gestures, that just bring a sense of fun and appreciation. Like the little chocolate bar that is left in my pigeonhole in work every week by a generous volunteer. Or the short thank you email, that someone has taken the time to send following a service or activity.

Grand gestures are obviously always welcome, but these little offerings that show care, gratitude and appreciation, are what keep me going. They can mean a great deal in their simplicity.

I often say the Christian faith is a faith of small things, making a big difference. Jesus talks about how the mustard seed is the smallest of them all, but when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants, where birds perch on its branches. And we have parables about the value of a single lost coin, or a small pinch of yeast.

While my macaroni cheese might not actually change lives, the small messages of appreciation, do help to lift my day, and so today I pray with thanks, for the small gestures that make me smile. May I never take them for granted, and may I be a bearer of small gifts to others as well.

Amen.

Show less