Opinion : It\'s the little things that matter

Yesterday was our day to visit the local homes for our elderly folks.

It's always a highlight for me, and I try to remember that as I rush home from church, grab some lunch and head out the door again.

There is never an audience more thrilled to see you, more willing to talk your ear off, and more appreciative of the effort you put into being there for them.

Yesterday, while playing the piano I noticed a new face in the crowd. An older gentleman in a wheel chair.

That fact alone set off a string of thoughts.

It's rare to see a man in our group, it's usually mostly women, sort of like it is in most churches anymore. Usually you see the women and children in the pews, but the men sometimes don't see the need to attend.

Then I started thinking, "I wonder why?" It would probably also explain a lot of church splits, I still say if you have just women in charge of anything, it's the recipe for a lot of trouble. (FINALLY, the one group I can't be accused of not being politically correct about, since I am officially one.)

Anywhoo....back to what I observed yesterday.

The gentleman in the wheel chair was in our service. I couldn't tell if he was enjoying it or not, but we gave it our best shot.

We sang the Christmas Carols, and I stumbled through them, having to dust them off for the annual shot at playing them.

As we sang, two women came in. One older, and one younger.

The older women immediately smiled and went to the man in the wheel chair, leaned over and gave him a kiss.

Not on the forehead.

Not on the cheek.

Right smack dab on the lips, and in the middle of our service no less!

That is something you rarely see as well.

It made me get a lump in my throat.

I watched as immediately the man's hand reached for hers.

She was taking her coat and scarf off and adjusting everything in her chair, and his hand kept searching for hers.

Finally, their hands met and they stayed firmly connected while we were there. From the angle of the chair and wheel chair, I know it was not a comfortable position for the man. But that didn't matter.

What mattered is that his wife was there.

She loved him.

She was there.

Having just lost my dad in the last year, I suppose I am more tuned in to things like this. And wishing again for a few more minutes that I could talk to him.

But in the journey through life, I am thankful for this one thing.

The love of those two people.

As always happens, there is never a good way to lose a spouse.

In our day and age of disposal everything, it's rare anymore to find couples willing to stay together until they are the age of the couple I saw yesterday.

Many times we hear, "Do what makes YOU happy." and if that means chucking your spouse, well, have at it, there's more fish in the sea.

But this couple found the true secret of a lasting love.

It's bundling up in the cold, when it would be more comfortable to be home.

It's doing what makes the other person happy, because hopefully you have figured out that that is what also makes YOU happy.

So during this holiday season, don't forget to do those little things to let the loved ones in your life know that you love them.

Hold their hand. Hug them. If it's your husband or wife, don't be afraid to lay one on 'em, even in the crowd. You just might make the day of someone around you, who will remember seeing that small token of love and it just might make their day, as well as yours.