 Photo by Life Of Pix at Pexels “Those who wish to sing, always have a song.” Years ago when my kids were in university I would sometimes tag along with them to a night class. I remember this one night very well. My son Tyler and I had started to commute to the local university together one night a week. Tyler had a night class, and I chose to go along. I would just bring my laptop and big bag of marking to keep me occupied, so it was a win - win for both of us. I loved that it was a great time to chat and catch up for Tyler and I. Tyler appreciated the company and I very much enjoyed the chance to spend some one on one time with him. I recall on this particular week it was pouring rain like I had never seen. We unfortunately got caught in back to back traffic near the U.S. border for about an hour. For miles, semi-trucks were backed up as far as the eye could see. We felt like very small fish in a very big pond with so many huge vehicles surrounding us. Yikes! Many times we were at a complete standstill and to add to the dilemma, the rain kept pouring down. The situation was less than ideal, but somehow being together made it that much more bearable. Tyler made the observation that he was so grateful that I had come along as it was quite an intimidating feeling being sandwiched in by a barricade of massive trucks. I reflected on the fact that I was so thankful we had stopped for gas and a bite to eat prior to heading into Windsor. Tyler also mentioned that much to his relief midterms were two weeks ago, so the pressure to make it on time to class was lifted. Realizing there was nothing we could do about the situation, rather than complain we chose to see the bright side. I realize this is often hard to do, but we chose to settle in and just accept it. With a warm coffee in hand, a positive outlook and good company, an irritating scenario was suddenly quite comfortable, and even enjoyable, because we simply CHOSE to view it that way. Life is funny sometimes. We can often handle the big things in our lives but it is the little things that often weigh us down. We have to make a choice of how we will respond to negative situations. When we feel surrounded by life’s demands that have put our world at a standstill, do we put on our seatbelts and enjoy the journey, or do we honk and yell and complain the whole way? Our response is our choice, yet some days, let’s be honest are sure harder than others. Some days just seem to hand us one stress-filled scenario after another. We can be left thinking - Lord have mercy! When will this day end?  One of my favourite children's books is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No-Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. In this very funny book everything seems to go wrong for Alexander on this very bad day. He has cavities at the dentist, no dessert packed in his lunch, he was declared a “third best friend” by someone he considered a BFF and to add insult to injury was even rejected by the family cat. As the story continues he repeatedly declares he is moving to Australia insinuating that that is the "magical place" where problems no longer exist! At the end of the story his mother reassures him that tomorrow will be a better day and that many people have terrible, horrible, no – good very bad days, even in Australia. Alexander’s feeling that there is some geographical cure for his hardships is not uncommon. I have heard time and time again people say such things that if they just “lived here,” or “moved there,” their lives would be so much better. The reality that those people seem to miss is that wherever you go, your problems follow you. Sadly whatever is unresolved “here,” will still be unresolved “there.”  Happiness is a choice. Happy people do not necessarily have happy lives. Many have lives that are actually very stressful and sad, yet somehow they still have found a reason to be joyful. Outlook is everything. A little boy in my class years ago had an expression he was always known to say when faced with a challenge. Like clockwork he would take a deep breath, smile and say “I will try my best.” I really respected him for that and it was clearly the secret to his success. No matter what life brings our way when we try our best to have a positive attitude and view challenges as a learning opportunity, many wonderful things can happen. Remembrance Day is coming soon. I remember one Remembrance Day assembly we had there was a song that really spoke to me. It was called “Do You Know Where I Find Peace?” The song went on to say “peace begins inside of me” and I couldn’t help but think how very true that statement was. We can make peace with our situations and by doing so allow ourselves to be more effective to others. I have found that the most powerful example to others are those who are in the storms of life, yet still find a reason to be joyful.  The expression “Life is hard, but God is good,” is very true. We were never promised a perfect life. We were never promised all rainbows and no storms. What we are promised is that we have a God who hears our prayers and is “closer than a brother,” to help us through our trials. Doing our part by keeping our spirits positive and trying to see the good in less than ideal situations can really give us an advantage in life. Life can be really hard but please know that we all go through hard times. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. The expression that we often don’t want to hear when we are in the thick of problems is “this too shall pass,” but it is really accurate. What has life handed you today? Do you feel like moving to Australia? I hope not but if so, know that tomorrow is a new day and we serve a God who says that His mercies are “new every morning.” Be encouraged as you never know what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow could just hold that breakthrough you have been waiting for, so let’s look at the bright side! Until next time, Dana Lamentations 3: 22-23 ~ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. Little Lesson Learned: There usually is a bright side to little stressful situations if we are willing to look for it. Tags: positive attitude, positive outlook, the bright side, look for the good, life is good, tough times don't lastCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi) second edition / first edition 2014: called The Bright Side
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 Photo by Ketut Subiyanto at Pexels "Working for the Lord doesn't pay much on earth, but the retirement plan is out of this world." Author Unknown Full-time jobs and careers come in all shapes and sizes. There are homemakers, doctors, full-time students, government workers, teachers, wait staff, doctors, nurses, pastors, custodians, and construction workers just to name a few. I could literally be here all day naming careers, and if I did not name yours, please know that I see you. I validate you. I respect so much what you do day after day, after day. It truly takes all kinds of people to make this world go around and we all truly need each other. There are so many careers that I know I would not be good at and simply could. not. do. The point I am trying to make is no matter what we do on the daily, often it can leave any and all of us exhausted, overwhelmed and feeling unappreciated at times. Life can be tough and we can question if we are making any difference at all in our corner of the world. If you never felt this way about your job, congratulations. I am so very happy for you. If you are like me though, and the struggle is real, you are my people. Sometimes we just need to know that we matter and our work is valued. I am a teacher. An interesting thing happened in my classroom these past weeks. For whatever reason, there has been an unusual amount of notes, pictures and gifts coming my way from my sweet students. My display cupboard is getting quite full, barely able to display them all. (What is going on here?) To top it off a little guy walked in this week with a mug for me that said "Teacher of the Year." He was beaming. I told him I will certainly do my best to try to live up to that title and how much his thoughtful gift meant to me. It was very encouraging for me, because so many times unbeknownst to him, as an elementary teacher I feel so inadequate. My tasks are many and I can get easily discouraged. This little parade of loving gestures really brought my spirits up, and meant more than my students could fully understand. You see, the teaching profession has become increasingly difficult over the years. This is my 20th year and so much has changed from when I first started. Kids are coming in with more complicated issues and diverse needs. It has left those of us in education feeling like we are not doing enough, or we just can't keep up. I know the feeling of being overwhelmed at the workplace is NOT unique to education. I am sure many of you can relate. If you are feeling like this, here are some things you need to hear. You matter You have been uniquely placed where you are in a circle of people that others do not have. Without you, your workplace would be very different and missing something that only you can bring. Even if your work is routine, or mundane, you have the power to put your own unique flair on it. I heard of a toll booth worker who danced his whole shift away as he took peoples' toll fees. He said it feels like a personal dance party every day and kept him in shape too. He explained, "Some might see this toll booth like a coffin, but not me. It is my personal dance floor!" Wow! With an attitude like that he will surely go far. Sometimes appreciation comes later Sometimes you get validation right away, sometimes it takes time and sometimes unfortunately you never get the appreciation you are seeking. Please know that even if you do not hear words of gratitude, it does not mean that you are not making a difference. Sometimes even years later you will get the thanks you deserve. I recall a student of mine when I just started my career, who would tell me how much she hated me every day. I had replaced her beloved teacher who was on maternity leave and she resented me big time. She would tell me I was a terrible teacher and how much she wanted her original teacher back every day. Ouch! Years later I ran into her and did not even recognize her. To make a long story short, she knew me and quickly apologized for how unkind she had been to me and stated that I had been a good teacher and she had always felt bad about how mean she had been to me. I did not expect her apology, or compliments and what she said really meant something to me even after all those years. You can encourage yourself Photo by Vlada Karpovich at Pexels What I have found when times get tough at work and I feel that I am behind and falling short of what I would like to be is to do this little routine. I give myself a pep talk and remind myself that I am doing the best I can, in less than ideal circumstances. I tell myself that I am here in this job, in this season for a reason. God has placed me here and I don't want to let Him down. I reflect on all the good and positives my job brings and focus on the group of people I am with each day knowing for me they are the ones that I can impact the most. For me it is little and big people otherwise known as students and colleagues. I know that God is my full-time teaching partner so I will be just fine in the end. Any work can be God's work Photo by Gustavo Fring at Pexels You do not have to be a pastor or on the mission field to do the Lord's work. In fact some of the best work we do for the Lord is in the little unseen tasks and gestures we do at our jobs that go unnoticed. Any job can be a ministry and we can do this work for the Lord to make this world a better place. Moms of littles especially, you are doing some of the most important work out there. Please know that! Be encouraged and know that when our jobs get hard we can find comfort in knowing that God has us there for some reason and with His strength we can make our corner of the world a little brighter as we do our jobs for Him. Until next time, Dana Colossians 3: 22- 23 (NIV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Little Lesson Learned: Any job is meaningful and can impact others when we dedicate it to God.  Photo by Little Lessons Learned by Dana Tags: careers, appreciation, discouragement, jobs, working for the LordCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi)
 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels “Enjoy the little things in life for someday you’ll look back and realize they were the BIG things.” ~ Robert Brault“ Thanksgiving is just around the corner in Canada where I am so proud to live. It is truly a beautiful time of year. Today I noticed what some might deem, a little thing. The leaves had started to change into their glorious fall colours and I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of it all. I have often thought of how God created the incredible trees so that even in their death they exude beauty for all of us to witness. Now I had walked by these trees day after day, yet somehow never really “saw” them until today. Life is like that sometimes. Little, wonderful things can be right under our noses yet we somehow miss them for whatever reason. We have so many things to be thankful for that is certain, yet it is often the little things that we take for granted. We want different menu options, a larger bank account, a bigger home, a faster car, a better paying job and the list goes on and on. Sadly we forget at times those who are less fortunate and have none of these things at all.  Photo by MART PRODUCTION at Pexels Several years ago I was discussing different types of homes people have in Canada in social studies class with my students. Among the obvious answers were houses, apartments, trailer homes, and condominiums, yet in the discussion a very interesting “home” came up. A little girl raised her hand and said somewhat timidly “a cardboard box?” The puzzled students started giggling thinking this little girl was really confused, yet she went on to explain. On her family vacation they had driven through an area with a very high homeless population and she had seen a small settlement of makeshift homes from boxes and anything else these unfortunate people could find. The little girl was shocked and dismayed, but her parents used this opportunity to explain and to enlighten her that that is how some people live. The student then went on to educate her classmates about how lucky we are to live the way we do and how that experience was something she will always remember. Shelter is a little thing we often do not think of as a blessing until we are face to face with someone who does not have that simple necessity. Our class conversation took a deeper turn that day and allowed us to focus on the little things in life that we often take for granted. We are so blessed to have homes, transportation, money for our needs, clothing and food on our tables.  Photo by Lubomirkin on Unsplash One year a new little boy entered my classroom. His family had recently experienced some tough times financially, yet fortunately I was told things were starting to look up for his little family, as his father got a new job. When I asked him if he would like to introduce himself to the class and share something about himself that was interesting or special he was more than happy to oblige. He proudly said his name and then he said something without hesitation I will never forget. He said “two things that are special about me are I like to eat well, and I like to be clean.” Little things that we take for granted like plenty of food and a warm bath or shower were recent luxuries that he was truly grateful for. These little things were placed high on his thankful list. It was a very humbling moment for me and I felt honored to have that little guy on my class list. He stole my heart that day and I made it a personal mission of mine to make sure he felt very blessed that year under my direction.  Photo by Yan Krukau at Pexels Little things can bring us so much joy if we are open to recognizing them. A warm cup of tea, an unexpected phone call, a funny movie, a good laugh with friends, curling up for a nap, a warm cozy fire, or a lazy Saturday afternoon with no particular agenda can bring us such pleasure. There has been an uprising on social media about gratitude where people are making a conscious effort to recognize often the little things that enhance their lives and bring them joy. This is truly wonderful because it is important for all of us to stay in an attitude of gratitude to lead the best possible lives for ourselves. Some people are the opposite. As Sebastian says in The Little Mermaid they live their lives thinking “the seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake.” They are never grateful for what is in front of them and they are never satisfied with what they have. This is so sad and a very unhealthy way to live. It is difficult to be around these types of people as their negativity can really bring you down too if you allow it. Sometimes it takes pivotal life circumstances to help them truly see their blessings.  Photo by paul wence at Pexels I have many scented body lotions and candles around the house. When my son Tyler was little he loved to smell these special little lotions, and small scented candles. He was quite obsessed actually and it was precious. He knew all the names by heart, and would he take them to my mom’s house and have her smell them too. He had such an appreciation for something so small it was truly heartwarming. He would say things like “This is summer peach or this is vanilla cookie,” and “Doesn’t it smell awesome?” as he would light up with pleasure over each smelly treasure. I remember thinking how sweet it was that he thought something so simple was so special and interesting. I knew right then, I could really learn a lot from him in this area.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, (Hey, even in the USA it comes in November, which will be here before you know it!) what a perfect time to start focusing on what you do have over what you don’t. What little or big things are you most thankful for? My faith, family, friends, and career bring me great fulfillment and I am so blessed to have what I have in these areas. We all have areas of our lives that need changes or growth, but no matter who we are, we still have many things to be thankful for as well. The Bible tells us to be thankful in all circumstances, not just the perfect or ideal scenarios. God wants us to cultivate an attitude of gratitude no matter what comes our way and He really does want to bless us out of His deep love and commitment to us. So, as the turkey is passed around the table this year, take a moment to really take it all in. Don’t let it become a ritual. Focus on those who are at your table and reflect upon God’s goodness to you this past year. Count your many blessings and be thankful! Little things really are some of life’s biggest blessings! Until next time, Dana 1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Little Lesson Learned: A thankful heart for little things will really bless you and others. Tags: thankfulness, gratitude, thankful heart, Thanksgiving, little things, blessingsCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi) second edition, first edition Little Things ( 2014)
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