The Little Moments

By Larry Duggins

My wife and I are in the midst of one of life’s transitions, downsizing from the big house the kids grew up in to a smaller house that better suits our needs. We have given away a ton of stuff, had a big garage sale, and threw away most of the third grade spelling tests. We moved out of the big house to get it on the market at the right time of year, and the renovations to the smaller house are not finished yet, so we are living with our daughter and granddaughter for a while. 

Space is a little tight for four of us and the spring weather has been pretty, so we have all enjoyed eating at the picnic table on the back porch. The back yard is small but quite pleasant with a bird feeder or two, some pretty trees, and a good fence so that Mike the Tiger cat can join us outdoors to hunt for big game while we eat.

Sharing table is always enjoyable and life-giving, but there is something about a picnic table that adds to the joy. Sitting next to each other is especially sweet having lived through the pandemic to this point, and it is fun to watch Annie play “restaurant” while we eat. The carefully colored menus detail the offerings of the day, and the table service is usually good. I especially enjoy receiving the bill at the end of the meal because she has not yet figured out how to actually charge my credit card. She takes it, goes into the house for a minute, and brings it back with an “all-done!” I keep an eye on my bill each month to ensure she hasn’t figured out really charging me.

Little pleasures like that are what memories are made of. I am betting that she remembers Annie June’s Café more clearly than most of the whiz-bang vacation trips. The little moments are the reason that God gives us to each other. Those sweet evenings together, sharing a meal and watching the cat hunt mosquito hawks, intertwine to yield the threads of love that hold us together. We are built to be in community.