“It’s the Little Things” is a song I wrote in 2008, but really, I could have written it the same way again in 2012 based on a whole new set of circumstances, or again this month, because all the emotions I was trying to capture in these words still hold true.

I wrote it based on things that had just happened, but all of these things have happened again and again, many times since; coming at me from different angles, different seasons, different attachments within my heart, and yet I still have the same striving to live in the moment and appreciate what is right in front of me.

I know I will continue to cherish and relive all the truly wonderful memories of light reflecting onto the faces of those I hold close to my heart, even if they cannot be in my life right now. They are always in my thoughts.

These are the lyrics; someday soon I will record the song itself. (My closing thoughts are at the bottom of the post.)

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It’s the Little Things
©2008 Laurie Early

It’s the little things that give life meaning
It’s the little things we might ignore
It’s the little things we take for granted
Those little things mean so much more

An unexpected smile, a gentle “thank you”
a shared umbrella on rainy days
It’s the little things that pass so quickly
that touch my heart in many ways

It’s the little things, It’s the little things, It’s the little things

I’m grateful for the little things
Everyday epiphanies
And for all the kindnesses
You have shown to me

A walk along the shore in mid-December
Majestic ocean waves crested with foam
It’s these little things that I remember
that tie me to this earth, my home

It’s the little things, It’s the little things, It’s the little things

I’m grateful for the little things
Everyday epiphanies
And for all the kindnesses
You have shown to me

The light upon your cheek when last I saw you
and the words you said, that final day
were such little things,
yet they sustain me
and keep you close each passing day

It’s the little things, It’s the little things, It’s the little things

Someone asked me once about why I wrote about the “majestic ocean waves” when the song was about “little things” and I believe I replied that if you think about the universe, a wave is a small thing. My reply was based on perspective.

But, in retrospect, because that day I spent walking along the ocean was such a fleeting moment in my life, such a rare thing, my memory of it is a little thing that continues to inspire me. I believe tremendously large things, like waves, or unexpectedly large experiences, give me the feeling of smallness. They help me to remember that I am just a tiny part of a much larger process, a larger community.

And, conversely, that a little thing can make me feel empowered, grateful, lucky, courageous, or simply–truly loved.