The Little Things

I wasn't in the best mood on Wednesday morning. At all. Traffic on the 10 fwy had been especially horrific (it took me 50 minutes to drive 7.8 miles), and when I finally arrived at work 20 minutes late, I had several unpleasant e-mails waiting for me in my inbox. It was enough to send me straight into the hallway, tears ruining my not-so-carefully applied mascara, as I begged God to help me out a little. (Or a lot.)

The bad start to my day sent me into the sort of funk that I didn't think could be eradicated by anything. Except for maybe winning the lottery or a fabulous trip to someplace exotic or tropical (I could really use a tan).

Then, later in the morning, I had to go pick up a gift certificate from Burke Williams Spa in Santa Monica. As I left the building, certificate in hand, I noticed a Leonida's Belgium Chocolate shop just down the block. Pushing aside the nagging voice in my head that told me 11 am is too early for chocolates, I popped in to check out the loot. The cheerful girl behind the counter immediately welcomed me into the nearly empty chocolatier and seemed completely happy to wait for me to hem and haw over my pivotal purchasing decision.

By the time I finally decided on the "Louise," a milk chocolate covered caramel-flavored praline, I was convinced that I'd driven her half-way to crazy with all my questions about her favorites, the most popular, etc. Yet, she continued to be as sweet as the candy in the display case and didn't reveal a hint of irritation at my indecisiveness. Instead, she told me that they also carried the "Louise" in dark and white chocolate and asked if I'd like to sample one. This was an easy one -- of course, I wanted to try the dark chocolate! She put the dark and milk chocolates into a small plastic sack, and as I reached for my wallet, she waved me away.

"No need to pay -- you can just take them." She said.

I stood agog, not quite sure how to respond to her kindness. I finally found my voice, a bit shaky with emotion, and said, "Thank you. I've had the worst day, and you've made it so much better."

She gave me a shy smile in return and sent me on my way with wishes that it continued to get better.

And it did. Her simple act of kindness quickly turned my sour mood around. The whole situation reminded me of my grandmother who was also fond of those small gestures. She was constantly baking pies and cookies for her friends, knitting dishclothes for them, or sending little notes to brighten their day. I'll always remember her for those small acts of kindness and the twinkle she'd get in her eye when she'd turn to us and say, "I've done my good deed for the day."

Her words and the chocolate shop girl's actions are reminders that the Lord doesn't always answer prayers or make His appearance in a grandiose manner. His presence is often most apparent in the humble displays of kindness -- like a couple pieces of chocolate, a smile from a stranger or a hug from a friend.