Big events come from small beginnings

Flashback of column written 3/09/05

The story is told of a bean that once clogged the safety valve in a steam pressure cooker. The cooker exploded with the lid to the cooker going through the ceiling. The beans splashed all over the kitchen making a new paint job necessary, and the explosion made it necessary for the housewife to go to the doctor for treatment for a burned hand.

The lesson to be learned from this story is that one little bean in the wrong place can cause so much expense, trouble and injury. One foolish word or deed can also often cause a great amount of trouble, sorrow and hurt.

In another story, a young mother driving along with her two small children was happy and carefree. For just a moment she turned to look at one of the children and in that moment a farmer on a tractor pulled out into the road. When the crash was over, the farmer was dead and the children were broken and bleeding. “I only took my eyes off the road for a moment,” the distraught mother said over and over.

The moral of this story is that a very small moment of carelessness, neglect or taking our eyes away from where they should be focused can sometimes result in sorrow and disaster. Many folks have paid the rest of their lives for a few moments of carelessness, neglect or folly.

Small things and how people react to them are often the basis by which we judge people. Small events are often important because they cause big things to happen.

In another story that happened many years ago on a cold rainy day, the clerks in a department store were listening to a ball game on the radio. A woman came into the store looking very wet from the rain. The clerks kept right on listening to the ball game, until one young man broke away and went to the lady. “What may I show you?” he asked in a courteous way.

When the lady left the store she asked for the young man’s card. Later she wrote a letter to the store ordering a complete redecoration for a great house in Scotland. She gave the young man’s name and specified that he was to be in charge of the work. The store manager attempted to have her use someone older and more experienced, but she rejected his idea. So, because the young man showed a small courtesy, he went across the ocean to decorate Mrs. Andrew Carnegie’s estate, Skibo Castle.

Finally, the story is told of two sisters who often visited an aunt during their summer vacation. One summer, when it was time for them to return home, the aunt gave each of them a new dress. Then she handed to the younger of the sisters a package tied with pretty ribbons.

“This is your thank you package,” she told the niece. “Where is my thank you package?” the older girl asked. “You have forgotten to say thank you all summer long, so your package will have to wait until you learn those words,” the aunt replied.

The older girl was ashamed and disappointed but she learned a lesson, and after that, she always remembered to say thank you for favors.

It is not the big things in life that cause the most good or the most harm. It is the little day-to-day things that influence our friends and families. Big events usually come from small beginnings.

HHJ News