Little Things in Life

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo F. Buscaglia

I think Buscaglia hit the nail on the head with this quote!

The three weeks I was home for Christmas break were amazing. The time with family and friends reminded me of the important things in life.

My family and I were able to sit at the dining room table and eat together, all six of us, like when we were all still living at home.

My mom and I got to spend some quality mother/daughter time going shopping and doing every day house work.

Cattle are the bond between my dad and I, so the opportunity to go look at bulls was great time for us to spend together.

Nick, Zachary and Jack took me along to go target shoot as well as just hanging out at home.

Over the break I was able to get some hunting time in. God’s creation is astounding. It’s so peaceful to sit and watch the quail scurry around, the cardinals play in the trees, the coyotes chase rabbits and the deer walk around to graze.

Spending time with great friends has also been a huge blessing. I know that I take my friends for granted some times, but this break brought that to my attention and gave us time to just enjoy each other. Whether it was relaxing in a hot tub, playing never-ending games of Uno, sitting in a deer blind or helping bake, it was all time very well spent.

I keep a gift bag in my room that is full of birthday cards from family, Christmas letters from old friends, graduation cards with inspirational words and notes from special people. I treasure those words that people took the time to sit down and write.

My newest addition to the words I cherish is a letter I received when I got home in December. I then had the chance to meet this incredible, loving woman and she made my day! It’s neat to meet an older woman so full of life.

The best Christmas gift I received this year was not a tangible item, but rather enjoying the importance of the little things in life.

Happy Trails & God Bless. To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.