It's the Little Things that Count

Kimberly Standkin had so many things on her mind, even just simply thinking about all her tasks, emotions, and schedules felt like a project in itself. 

When Kimberly was just finishing high school, she thought she knew what stressful was. Boy, was she wrong. While she had dreamed for so many years about the life she had now, she found herself in complete awe and with so much weight on her shoulders at the same time. But, truthfully, she wouldn't change a thing . . . It was all worth it. 

Ding dong! 

The doorbell interrupted her from working on putting together her new bookshelf—she could never have enough books. 

"Coming!" She ran to the door, leaving her crazy mess of a project in her living room, which one could see from the front door. 

To her surprise, it was her husband, Eric. His hands were full, which explained why he rang the doorbell. 

"Hey, Wonderful." He smiled, and glanced at the bouquet of flowers in one hand and then the small gift bag in the other. 

"What's this?" She asked in awe. 

"Just thought you could use a break and some much-needed appreciation." He stepped in and she could tell he was ready to make her day. 

"Daddy!" Their daughter, Jesse, came running in then froze when she was a few feet from him. "Aren't you supposed to be home at dinner time?" She tilted her head. 

He chuckled. "Yes, but I thought I'd spend the day with you and Mommy." 

Kimberly leaned in closer to him, "But don't you have that big project for work?" 

He smirked. "Yes, but I've been planning this for quite a while and they knew I'd be gone."

She smiled. "And what exactly did you plan?" She took a step closer. 

"Well . . . it's called a surprise for a reason." He chuckled and stepped away. "Why don't you change into something that's a little less . . . dusty?" He chuckled. 

She looked down at her black t-shirt and blue-wash jeans. "Will do!" She laughed as she hurried off and when she returned, she found both of them sweetly and patiently waiting for her. 

"There's our favorite Mommy." Eric smiled. He looked over her outfit and he had the same type of look on his face when he watched her walk down the aisle on their wedding day. 

She knew the look quite well. It was their silent exchange that was only between the two of them. Something special that no one could break, something that God orchestrated in their relationship. 

"Are we gonna play games or do arts and crafts?" Jesse asked excitedly with a big smile on her face. 

"Actually, yes. But, first . . ." he handed the bouquet to Kimberly. 

"They're beautiful." She looked closer and had found tiny flowers sprinkled throughout which were the same ones he had given her on their first date. He was so thoughtful. 

She knew he saw her eyeing the gift. What in the world could he have got her? She didn't want anything nor ask for anything. She was happy; she had her dream job—a stay-at-home mom—she had an incredible husband, had a wonderful daughter, and she had God over it all. 

He handed her the gift with a smile and anticipated her reaction. 

She pulled out the tissue paper and found what seemed to be a long, black box. To the touch she could feel that it was velvet. "What's this?" 

"Just open it." He chuckled, his wife obviously seconds away from finding out. 

She opened the box and what to her surprise she found a beautiful gold necklace. A large smile took over and she just stood there, staring at it. "It's absolutely gorgeous." She stared at it for a moment longer and her jaw dropped. "Is this...? 

"Yeah, it is. The necklace from our wedding. I got it restored since it was broken from the move." He smiled; he knew how happy she was. 

Immediately, she hugged him. 

Little Jesse wanted to join in on the hug, so she wrapped her arms around their legs, and, to her surprise, they lifted her up and they created a little Jesse sandwich. Their tickles caused her to break out in laughter. 

After their tickle session, Eric led them over to the living room table and brought out a box full of craft supplies. "I thought we could all make a card for each other." 

"So I make one for you and make one for Mommy?" Jesse asked. 

"Yes, exactly." He winked. 

When Kimberly and Jesse were about halfway through, Eric placed his cards in envelopes and stood up with them in hand. 

"Done already?" Kimberly was surprised. 

"Yeah. I've been thinking about this for a while, so I already had them all planned out. When you're done, can you put your cards on the dinner table?" 

"Yeah, sure. Where are you going?" 

"To make dinner." 

Why was he doing this? He was being so sentimental and sweet... But why? He mind switched into, what she called, "Mother mode," where she thought of all possible situations and was extremely protective. She tried to push the thoughts aside—the ones that made her wonder if he was doing all this because he wasn't feeling well. 

A little while later, the oven beeped and Eric called, "Dinner's ready!" 

At that time, Kimberly and Jesse had their cards in hand and placed them on the table. Dinner was delicious and they ended the night with a movie—Pirates of the Caribbean, their favorite. 

They didn't need to spend money, they didn't need to go out, they just needed each other—family—and God. 

As Kimberly had her legs stretched out on the couch, with her daughter in between her and Eric, she smiled and thanked God. Her perfect little family, a perfect night, blessed by God . . . It was true; it's the little things that count. 

~ ~ ~ 

You know, even in our daily lives, we can recognize the little things that make us happy and the little things we can do for each other. A lot of the time, those are the most special and meaningful. God does it for us all the time, and we don't even realize it a lot of the time. Just like us, He cares about the little things . . .