Small Gifts

David Cramer Photography
Full moon shot taken the morning of January 1, 2010

"May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped in thoughtfulness, and tied with love." ~L. O. Baird

Its one of those mornings, driving into work a bit late going and stressing over all that needs to be done. On my particular drive as I curve around the cloverleaf to the freeway on-ramp it came into view. A view of the near perfect, dusty colored and huge Moon.

The color and view was very similar to the one shown above. It was a picture I would have loved to have gotten with my own camera. To pull over right there and stand in awe of this small early morning gift. But that may have started a chain reaction of others pulling over, a traffic jam may have begun, the police, etc.

So I kept moving, wondering if others were taking in this view. Wondering if they saw it as an early morning gift as well. And then the song "Mr E's Beautiful Blues" by The Eels came on and as the song goes (slightly altered), "gosh darn right, its a beautiful day."

This song talks about the pain and suffering that exists beneath the surface for many people. But it is a 'beautiful day' out there. If you can see and grab onto these small gifts, they can help you change your world just a little bit. To know that the stress of whatever is going on in your life can be brightened by seeimingly small things.

A beautiful morning full moon or a smile from someone can make all the difference. Whether you are receiving or giving of the small gift, the impact can be huge. So take advantage of it, grab hold of it and change your life.

Sweeping Streets

If a man is called to be a street sweeper
He should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted
Or Beethoven composed music
Or Shakespeare wrote poetry

He should sweep streets so well
That all the hosts of heaven and earth
Will pause to say
Here lived a great street sweeper
Who did his job well

~Martin Luther King, Jr~

This is one of my favorite quotes that I share with you today. You can make a difference every day simply by doing what you do, to the best ability that you can.

Jon's Big Rock Birthday

"Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday Jon"

Okay, today is your birthday and you're out in Colorado doing some type of rock fetch for the University of Georgia Geology Department.  The quiz of the day then is; what kind of rock is shown above? Yes, another test, another quiz and another final that I'm sure you weren't expecting.

But its your birthday and I'll go easy on you...the answer is well hidden below.  Proud of you and the end of this four-year madness of school is getting close. Enjoy your birthday and don't let any big rocks fall on you...although the one above would look nice in the front yard!

Answer: Krishna's butter ball "balancing rock" in Mahabalipuram, India

Single Ember

“Abruptly the poker of memory stirs the ashes of recollection and uncovers a forgotten ember, still smoldering down there, still hot, still glowing, still red as red.” ~William Manchester

A story was told at a recent meeting I attended. The speaker was Ps Steve Bullen, who along with his wife Simone paster theC3Church - North Atlanta. Steve was speaking to a large group of men about re-igniting their lives. He tells a story of many years ago during a beach-side conference that always held a very large bonfire at conference end.

The days leading up to the conference, folks involved with putting on the event had built a huge pile of wood and timbers. This was going to be a very large fire for those gathered. But as the conference started, the rains came. Rain pouring down for two to three days, through out the week soaking everything including the bonfire wood.

When the final night came, the rains had ceased and everyone was expecting a grand fire. As you would expect, the wood was damp and the day's sunshine had not fully dried it. So paper and bruch and lots of matches were consumed trying to get this bonfire started.

Then out of the corner of Steve's eye, he sees someone coming with a large fuel can, gasoline one would expect, letting the liquid fly towards the pile. It was estimated that it was probably two or more gallons of the highly flammable stuff.

To no one's surprise, there were a few small embers from the failed lighting attempts still glowing within the pile. Now if you have never seen what happens with gasoline; the fumes are flammable and all it takes it a small spark or ember to ignite it completely. An instant solar flare occurs that lit up the entire coastline. So bright that ships thought it was a light beacon. So intense that...well, you get the picture.

The amazing thing that one can draw from this story is that all it took was one small flame. One small spark or ember to change everything. Something so small and singular in purpose we somehow forget that it exists. But it does exist. It exists in each of us, deep inside where we have forgotten it.

That one small flame glows, just waiting for you to throw something on it. To let it ignite your life and explode into something great. Oh yes, it does exist and all it takes is that one small flame. A small touch or a small amount of movement to change your life.