December 26

You know those surreal moments that pop up now and again? I had one of them tonight.

I was sitting with my grandma and my brother Charlie, just shooting the breeze and listening to her talk about our long-departed relatives, when out of nowhere she started sharing the story of how she came to faith --real faith-- in Christ. She talked about the stillness that came over her one day when she was about 50 years old and about being baptized in the Holy Land and how no matter what her circumstances, she feels at peace.

I could relate to a lot of her words, but they also made me realize how often I let the little annoyances of this life get under my skin. I'm good at enjoying the little things, but I'm also quite good at letting them annoy the snot out of me, too.

The experience made me want to do better; to try harder to be who I should be. And for that, I'm grateful. (And incidentally, I'm also grateful for the lovely shopping day I had with my mom and Abby, and for the pretty blue Corvette that I saw enter the crowded highway as we were driving back home. Sweet little things indeed.)