Last year I hired a housekeeper. I know it sounds so self-indulgent
but I needed the help after I had a long recovery from some surgery. Even after
I was up and about we decided to keep her on. Well…I was spoiled having her
come in every few weeks. What I love about Jennifer are the little things she
does for me. She'll arrange my knick knacks just so or fluff the pillows on my bed. My favorite is the way she folds the bath towels hanging on the
rack on the bathroom door. She sort of does this tri-fold method and every time I see them it brings a smile to my face. This got me
to thinking about all the other little things that have made me smile or warmed
my heart over the years.
When we were first dating, years ago, my husband would bring
me four leaf clovers. He’s the only person I know who can step out into a field
of clover and look down to instantly spot one of them. Considering your chances of finding a four
leaf clover are pretty slim, I’m still pretty impressed by all the ones he
brought to me. My grandmother would
always have molasses cookies and a big tin of Charlie’s Chips waiting for us
when we arrived for a visit. Warms the cockles of my heart remembering sitting
at the Formica topped kitchen table sharing those with her. More recently, due
to our travel schedule my husband and I weren’t able to be together for
this Valentine’s Day. I cut heart shapes out of red construction paper, wrote little
notes on them and taped them up on the fridge before I left on my trip so it
was the first thing he saw when he returned home. That gesture was a little
thing for me to do, but I know it meant a lot to him.
As a writer and a reader I love to see the little things in books. Perhaps you’ve read a scene about a holiday tradition that brought back warm, long forgotten memories or there’s something a character does that reminds you of an event from your life. It’s those little things that make our lives special and the little things authors put in the pages of their books that makes them memorable. So be it fact or fiction I really do believe all the little things matter! How about you? What are some of the little things in life or from taken from the pages of a book that have made you smile?
Tracey J Lyons sold her first book on 9/9/99! She is the best selling author of the Women of Surprise Historical romance series, Montlake/Avalon Books and writes the contemporary Wine Country Vixen series as Tracey Sorel. You can learn more about Tracey and her books by visiting her websites.
Thank you for reminding me about the little things! It's so easy to forget to dole them out, until you remember when you used to receive them. :)
ReplyDeleteI remember visiting my grandmother as a child. We would pick raspberries in her garden and then sit at her kitchen table eating them with icing sugar and cream. Raspberries still bring those memories of my beloved grandma.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory, Elisabeth. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI honestly think it's the little things that matter most. They're certainly the ones I remember most.
ReplyDelete