In Search of the Little Things

/ Jodi
Daffodils Popping out of the Ground - February 20, 2018 - Mars, PA

Daffodils Popping out of the Ground – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA

In Search of the Little Things.

Sometimes we need to get down low,

Forsythia Buds on Branches - February 20, 2018 - Mars, PA

Forsythia Buds on Branches – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA

or look extra closely,

Grape Hyacinths Emerging - February 20, 2018 - Mars, PA

Grape Hyacinths Emerging – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA

or push some other things out of the way,

Bleeding Hearts Emerging - February 20, 2018 - Mars, PA

Bleeding Hearts Emerging – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA

or look for tiny changes.

Irises surfacing - February 20, 2018 - Mars, PA

Irises surfacing – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA

The little things are there…
Little signs of change…
Little hints of what is about to happen.

As I walked around the yard late yesterday afternoon in bare feet on a record-breaking warm day for February in our area (we hit 80 degrees F!), I searched for little things.  I searched for tiny changes. I searched for little hints of Spring.

And they were everywhere!  Daffodils and hyacinths and irises popping through the earth.  Buds developing on forsythia branches.  Intricate formations of future bleeding hearts.

And it made me think…
Again…
On a topic that has not left my mind or my heart…

The mass shooting in Parkland, Florida last week where a 19 year old boy/man killed 17 innocent children at school.

As the days pass, details are being revealed.
Little hints of issues.
Little signs of change.

Didn’t anyone notice?
Wasn’t anyone paying attention?

Why was this troubled young man able to purchase military grade assault weapons?
For that matter – why is any civilian legally able to purchase military grade assault weapons?
That is certainly one important issue I feel needs addressed.

But we must also be diligent.
We must also be watching.
We must be paying attention
to our children.

We must be searching for and noticing the little things…
The little changes, the hints, the signs
happening with our children…

Before it is too late.

It is up to us.

Hugs,
Jodi

61 thoughts on “In Search of the Little Things”

    • Yes -as I’ve been commenting to others – none of us can do it all – but we can all do one thing – and imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all did one thing for someone else each day. If we really paid attention. The power of presence is a powerful thing we don’t do so much anymore. How often are we full present with someone where we are not distracted by our phone or television or even our own thoughts…? Oh I am babbling now.

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  3. Jodi that is SUCH an important message. My mother talks much of the war these days as she drifts deep into old age. She was 7 when war was declared. The terrorist attacks in Europe of recent years have her reminiscing about how it was drummed into everyone to keep watchful, be aware of changes in behaviour, stay vigilant and alert. Whilst there are clearly manor issues to be addressed you are so right that each and everyone can be mindful of one another, engage and observe so that if a person is in need of help before they boil over into the unthinkable at least there is some chance of responding before the response is to bloodshed. Thank you for this post …. it should speak loud to us all. 💛

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  4. Jodi, you are giving us a very important message this morning. Just as we often miss the small changes in nature, because we are not looking, so we may miss the little tell-tales of a disturbed mind. Could nobody with the ability to observe see that this young man was in trouble, who killed 17 innocent children?

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  5. You are absolutely right. It is the small changes that are the most important and the ones most likely to be overlooked. Your pictures have me now wanting to dig around in my gardens. I’ve seen Crocuses and Daffodils, and I do have a Bleeding Heart. I will have to see if She is popping up. Everyone needs to read your message here today. Bless you!! 🤗

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  7. Great post Jodi. Insightful thoughts. Yes, we all must be aware of some of the little things that occur all around us This helps to minimize potential surprises that can occur when we least expect them and to possibly affect the outcome of changes that are occurring, so that the end results are positive. Gary

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      • Totally agree. If we can become better aware of even the little things or what people are doing around us (however gradual as they might initially appear) we can hopefully find effective ways to help someone at an early stage do ths t they do not continue down the wrong path in life and thus help to stop these horrific acts that have been occurring that seem to catch everyone by surprise.

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  9. Beautiful photos! You had beautiful weather and we had snow! In fact, we have had weather in the 50’s this winter so it has been more springlike, then suddenly we got snow yesterday. The young man that shot his classmates fell inbetween the cracks when his adoptive mother died. Very sad! Maybe if she were still alive she would have noticed the changes, or maybe it is her death that pushed him over the edge? Guess we will never know.

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  16. 80 degrees!! Wow!! I woke-up to zero degrees here this am. 😮 Wonderful to see Spring flowers starting to bud in your neck of the woods. 🌷💕
    I agree, we all need to be more aware of changes around us in people too – and somehow we need to improve our mental health system. ❤️

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  19. This is an awesome post and very close to my ❤ having only been writing about this same thing recently. EVERYONE deserves to feel special! Kind words and actions are FREE and you dont know what a big difference some little gesture may be to someone else. Spread the ❤. Have an awesome day

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  21. Couldn’t agree more! We need to ban semi-automatic weapons AND we need to pay much more attention to our troubled youth. One without the other isn’t going to change things, I don’t think. Personally, I would also love to see less public bullying and glorification of violent lifestyles and obsessions with violent video games, too. It all goes together…we need to remove the means of mass murder and the inclination to do it as well. You said it so well. Thank you, Jodi!!!

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  22. Lovely detail photos. Reminds me I need to give you a link (if you are interested) to a young man who is doing incredible photos on his iphone, including time lapse, reflection photos, so much more, all things people dont know exist on the iphone camera. Any way he is a good teacher and the photos he takes are incredible like yours on your fancy camera.
    Your words are so thought proviking, i felt like emailing your prevoius post to Congress, because it was so poignant. ( I think thats the word I want.). It is so disturbing to be in your town, and notice every grade school and many middle schools and High Schools are all gated like little prisons. 12 years ago we used to take my grandgirls to every park and grade school for them to play on playground equipment. Now all the school are not accessible, and I’m noticing more baricades or damaged play equipment at the parks. Our city was known as family friendly. We had 52 parks alone in the city. Not counting the 10-20 schools. It’s depressing that the songs and the attitude of younger generation has so little value of other peoples properties, or life. I don’t get it. And like you why are military guns legal to be sold to civilians. Of course I don’t think anyone should be able to purchase a gun without proper training and proof they know how to store, clean, use one. But I feel that way about recreational vehicles, motor cycles, cars, boats, drones. People should know the laws, how to use them including hooking them up to trailers. We see some incredibly stupid drivers, boaters, motorcyclist up here. Especially mixed with alcohol or drugs. Sorry about that rant. But it hits deep when you think about the age of the shooter and nobody caring, or being able to detect his breakdown, but I get how it happens, teenagers hide so much, react poorly because they are out of their element when they are tragically affected by the loss of family and home, in denial thinking they are doing fine, and it does seem like the systems by school boards and county welfare almost set it up to make it fail, by people making decisions ( like your father said he did at the time feeling it was in your best interest ). The laws sometimes interfere too tying the hands of people, who cant overstep their boundry lines. It does take a village of people to help, preferably not for political reasons, but for the right reason, at the right time. Its so easy to see hindsight and other peoples mistakes when it ” falls thru the cracks”
    You are doing something, even if it touches only a few, it counts, even if it touches only 1. I dont want to take anyones rights away to have guns, but I do feel we need to be accountable for selling them to teens, or to people who are not qualified to use them. Regerstering them is only helpful after their is a tragedy. It doesn’t really stop the problem.

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    • Oh Dena – I sure feel your passion. I feel your heart. I feel your love. Don’t let go of that! Thank you for that! And you know you caught my breath when you mentioned my dad. Thank you for caring so much! You are so special!

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