BIG LITTLE THINGS
Daniel Hope
I don’t know what some of you Vols fans were thinking when Wilhoit shanked the extra point in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. It’s probably just as well I don’t know. At any rate, here’s one of the things that went through my mind after I got over the shock. I thought to myself, “Both teams have practiced and prepared for this game for days. Countless hours and enormous amounts of energy have been spent by intense coaches, exhausted players, and screaming fans. Yet the outcome of the game is going to be determined by a ball sailing a few feet outside the right upright.” What I didn’t know then was that the outcome of this game would actually be determined by another little thing that happened just moments later—Wilhoit’s 50-yard kick that flew just a few feet over the crossbar in between the uprights. Little things can make a big difference.
Just ask a military friend of mine. When it came time for his transfer, the Army asked him to list the three places he’d most like to go. Although he and his family wanted to go either to Oklahoma, Louisiana, or Arkansas, they oddly enough were told they’d be transferred to Alaska. Upon inquiring about what appeared to them to be a simple misunderstanding, my friend discovered that this rather unexpected assignment was due to one letter: on his application he had written the abbreviation for Alaska (AK) instead of Arkansas (“AR”). Four cold years with Eskimos is a tough way to learn the abbreviations of the states, but I doubt he’ll make that mistake again!
Hav_ you _v_ r stopp_d to think about what a s_nt_nc_ would look lik_ if just on_ l_tt_r on the k_yboard wan’t functioning prop_rly? Littl_ things can mak_ a big diff_r_nc_, can’t th_y?
· A little thing like a good attitude can shape the way you see the world.
· A little thing like an encouraging word can brighten someone’s day.
· A little thing like a kind act can remind someone that he or she is worth loving.
· A little thing like a card can give someone the courage to keep trying.
· A little thing like a pat on the back can motivate someone to do an increasingly better job.
· A little thing like a smile can warm a cold heart.
· A little thing like a note in your child’s lunchbox can reassure them of their self-worth.
· A little thing like a rose on the table can erase all the difficulties of your wife’s day.
Hmm…maybe things that appear little to us aren’t so little after all.