I read this devotional that came in my email today. I don't know who officially wrote it but it shares a common theme with this blog. I hope you enjoy it.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)

Notice the Little Things. 

One day as I was going into an office building, a man standing nearby opened the door for me. I thanked him and smiled. "You're the fifth person I've held the door for," he said, "and you're the first one to smile and the second to thank me." 

I thanked him a second time, with a smile on my face. Afterward, I thought how much we take others for granted, even in simple things, such as opening a door for a stranger. 

We often commend people when they do big things for us, but how often do we appreciate the little things? 

When a person does something nice for you and you thank them, it builds them up and encourages them. It means a lot to them, just like it did to the man at the office building. 

Did your bus arrive on time today? If so, did you thank the driver? The last time you ate at a restaurant, did you thank the waiter for filling your coffee cup a second time without being asked? This is the point I want to make: Develop an attitude of gratitude toward the people in your life. 

Prayer Starter: Lord, keep me aware so that I will notice the little, helpful things that people do for me. I don't want to be ungrateful. Instead, I want to thank them and build them up.

On July 1, 2013 I learned I had stage 3 throat cancer. While my heart and faith remained strong in God's calling of me, I used the time to undergo and recover from surgery. Sorry for not posting on this blog the news. Somehow Facebook got the most of it.