Just about every Saturday morning last fall, I’d grab one of those double-insulated coffee mugs filled to the brim with Tony’s French Royale dark roast and Organic Valley dairy-free creamer (don’t forget the creamer). Next, I’d slip my cold feet into a pair of black floral-print rain boots. (I’ve heard them described on the Sorta Awesome Podcast as moody floral.) My five-year-old daughter, Lauren, and I would then dash off to ballet class, which was held, of course, at the exact same time as big brother’s soccer game. As soon as ballet was over, we’d race to the small bathroom between the dance studio and a dential office, where I’d attempt to get Lauren out of her pink leotard and tights in a timely manner. If we were lucky, the handicapped stall would be available for us to privately trade pink dance slippers for Hello Kitty rubber boots. When we were through changing, I’d grab Lauren’s hand and, together, we’d bolt down the narrow staircase to the parking lot where our Honda Odyssey was waiting to whisk us off to the soccer field at the community church on the other side of town.
I’m exhausted just writing about it.
Let’s face it: Life is busy, really really busy. And time isn’t slowing down. That’s why I fully appreciate the book Church of the Small Things: The Million Little Pieces That Make Up a Life by Melanie Shankle, which releases today.
I received an advance copy of Church of the Small Things as part of Melanie’s launch team in exchange for an honest review. The bright pink book was left on my front porch by the UPS guy during Lauren’s family birthday party, back in July. I’ve looked forward to talking about it with you ever since.
Melanie Shankle is a modern day Erma Bombeck with a little bit of sarcasm and a better sense of style.
Really, she is. Chapters such as Forty Is Not the New Thirty, How Walmart and a Frito Pie Made all the Difference, and Autocorrect Is the Devil left me howling with laughter and tender with nostalgia.
What I appreciate most about Church of the Small Things, however, is it helped me see the bigger picture. Melanie reminds me that the little things in life are actually the big things. She reminds me to see life as a series of stories worth sharing, worth savoring. All because there’s goodness, so much goodness, to be found along the way.
According to Church of the Small Things, it’s not about having the latest and greatest. Oh no, Melanie reminds me that a good life is made up of a thousand trips to Costco and the grocery store. It’s about movie nights and the little dog who searches in vain to find the perfect lap among the five of us. It’s about attending Back to School Nights and Girl Scout ceremonies. It’s about cheering for Steven in the pouring rain and helping our little girl change out of her pink leotard in a bathroom stall next to the dental office. It’s about clapping for my big girl when she plays the second verse of a song on her recorder that I kinda-sorta recognize. (Yankee Doodle?) And it’s about laughter, lots and lots of laughter.
Consider ordering yourself a copy of Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle. Who doesn’t, after all, need a gentle reminder to thank God for the little pieces that make up a life? You know, the tender moments, the church of the small things.
Oh the challenge of realizing this – One of the things I have to keep reminding myself of is I may not see the results of much of what I have done. What we do counts on even after our life here on earth. It’s still hard for me to hold onto that. sounds like a good reminder and a fun book to read.
It’s definitely a challenge!