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A short time ago, during a conversation with my sister, she commented that she was grateful for her “small life.” That comment has reverberated in my thoughts since.

The context of our conversation included the broader turmoil that exists in our politics, communities, and racial relations. There is so much out of kilter that it becomes overwhelming to contemplate the path ahead. Being grateful for her small life, as she put it, acknowledges her focus on the circumstances she can control; relationships with neighbors that hold different viewpoints, playfulness with children who come to explore her eclectic garden, gifts of time and attention to worthy causes, and support for friends and family.

There are, of course, large-scale issues ping-ponging around the globe, but our response to any one of them occurs on a personal level through each of what may seem to be our small lives. All outstanding life-changing achievements are not the result of individual effort – they occur as an accumulation of separate actions. Care for your neighbor begets care for other neighbors. Support for friends and family produces other acts of support and kindness. Leading a small, good life can create ripples that pass beyond the horizon.

At the end, when the bell tolls, I think she’ll find that her life was immense – in ways she might not have imagined.

Kevin Deeny