The Big and the Little

First of all, I am really officially blogging again. Things were kind of crazy in Hawaii, and I just didn’t have the time I suppose. Not that we aren’t going to be busy here–we are. But living in London I believe will induce me to just HAVE to write about all the wonderful things I experience. 🙂

Now that my little announcement is out of the way, let me share my thoughts on a subject that came to my awareness yesterday. I’ll begin with a short story…

So, we had landed in London at about 10:15 in the morning. It had taken quite a long time to actually get off the plane due to the large amount of people on board… So many people in fact that it was quite difficult to even obtain my coat which was in the overhead compartment. (On a side note… When I did finally get to it, and started to pull the coat down, my tennis rackets came toppling down upon the young man’s head behind me. I didn’t know they were on top of the coat. Oops. He was very gracious though.)

All that said, I was rather tired and jet lagged, and just ready to collect our baggage. All thirteen pieces of it… And thus I was walking rather briskly through the airport, with a mission. Jefferson had been walking beside me, but suddenly stopped. A moment later he came running into me, stopping the progress of the both us. He was visibly excited about something.

“Caroline, Caroline! Guess what??”
“What Jefferson?” I replied, as I picked up my pace again.
“That lady back there… Caroline, that lady, she was speaking… ITALIAN!” He’s jumping along beside me for joy at point.
“Oh, that’s nice, Jefferson.” As I say this I’m thinking, ummm, Italian?? That’s why you just about knocked the both of us down on the airport floor?? WHICH is probably germ infested!? Probably. (Mostly it just sounded like good justification.)
“Yeah! She said, (he goes into an Italian accent) “le pasa porte.” Which means she was speaking Italian! Can you believe it?”
“Cool Jefferson.”

End of story.

Anyway though, as I got to thinking about it, I realized that Jefferson hadn’t been to Italy… Sometimes I forget we didn’t always have him… So no wonder he was excited. He hadn’t heard a “real-live” Italian speak Italian.
And then as I pondered the episode some more, I realized that most American seven year-olds haven’t been to Italy… Or fifteen year-olds for that matter. And that maybe I had taken it for granted a little bit, that I had that amazing experience of living in Northern Italy for three years. I mean, that was a big part of the younger years of my childhood. Sometimes it’s easy to take the big things for granted.

Satisfied that I had thoroughly contemplated this event, I went on through the rest of my day.
Later… I was trying to get ready for bed and was about to take a MUCH needed shower (the floors of the airport may only be so germ-infested… But all the seats and doorknobs and restrooms… You name it, probably are. Not to mention the planes themselves…). Unfortunately… the hot water was gone. ALL of it. I decided it wasn’t that big of a deal and I would just wait. An hour later, it had warmed up to maybe a little bit above freezing… Great. What a way to get sick right before you travel to Rome… And with how hard it is for me to keep warm… That would do it.

HOWEVER, my ever resourceful mother saved the day! (Again). We, or rather she, decided to run the water from the bath, but heat up water in a water heater-something-or-other, provided in our apartment. Then pour the hot water into my bath. After a couple of those, it would be warm enough to bath in. And that is what she did.

I will say, the drain of the bathtub wasn’t working quite properly… So by the time the water wasn’t frigid, there wasn’t but probably three inches or so left in the tub. At that point though, I wasn’t picky, I was grateful. VERY grateful.

And as I went to bed last night, I once again realized that I had taken something for granted. A little thing like water is easy to take for granted… Because, well, it’s water. And it’s EVERYWHERE. But not everyone has it. Or if they do it might not be clean. In fact, it could be poisonous. So I have much to be grateful for. Don’t I?

And then I realized, that in comparison, Italy isn’t so big after all. It has been something God has GIVEN me. Memories that he has allowed me to make and remember. But Italy is extra, it is little when you’re talking about water, something that keeps our bodies alive and clean. So it was really the other way around I suppose.

And I use Italy only as an example in my life, that I was reminded of yesterday. But there are many other things that we have that others don’t, such as going out to eat, whether for special or because we feel like it, going see movies on the big screen, having access to multiple stores where we can buy clothes… We, as Americans, are very blessed. And I pray we remember it, and not take it as something we deserve, but something we’ve been given.

Anyway, to wrap this up… I now live in London. And I’m not going to take a day of it for granted… I am extremely blessed to have this unique opportunity…. Haha, someday I may never even be able to afford visiting here… Much less living. God is good. 🙂

AND, I look forward to keeping you updated, via my now active blog ;), on all my adventures.

In Christ, (the greatest travel agent)
Caroline Ann