“The Smallest Right and Doing It All For Love”

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 11/1/21.

The other day I was rushing to meet a friend. I was running a few minutes late, so naturally, I picked up my pace and started walking briskly.
 
As I passed a popular park in my neighborhood, a young woman stepped in my direction. “Excuse me,” she started to say, holding up her hand, “are you from here?” 
 
Without taking my eyes off my destination, which was starting to appear in the distance, I mumbled out a curt “Can’t!” and hurried on my rushed way.
 
Ugh. 
 
I felt terrible right after it happened. 
 
Really? I couldn’t have stopped for a minute or two to see what she needed help with? Or at a minimum, pause for 30 seconds to look at her and let her know that I was unable to stop because I was running late? Either option would have been better than what I did.
 
I’ve been thinking about this incident because of a book I started reading. I’d been on the hunt for a book to read in the morning that’s somewhere between thought-provoking and inspirational. I can’t remember how I came across this book specifically, but I recently started reading Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and am really enjoying it.
 
So much so, that I’ve actually done a few deep dives on St. Thérèse because I just find her story so interesting. And as today is considered “All Saints Day” for some, I thought it would be timely to share why she’s resonating with me and how her writings made me reflect on my recent rude encounter. Regardless of personal beliefs, I think there’s some inspiration and learnings to take from things St. Thérèse’s wrote and said. 
 
St. Thérèse was a French Carmelite nun who died in 1897 at the young age of 24 from tuberculosis. For her entire time as a nun (she became a nun when she was only 15), she remained cloistered in her convent, where two of her sisters were also nuns (a third sister would later join them as well and a fourth sister was a nun in a different order!). She lived this hidden, simple life of holiness, yet over 120+ years later, she’s regarded as one of the most well-known saints. It’s pretty remarkable. By conventional standards, she didn’t make any grand gestures or perform unbelievable miracles, but rather, she is known for the simplicity and practicality of her approach to spiritual life. As she writes, “What matters in life, is not great deeds, but great love.“
 
It’s what people refer to as her “Little Way,” which is doing the smallest things with the greatest amount of love. She doesn’t pretend like it’s easy to do – she writes openly about being annoyed with others and doubting her faith – but her “Little Way” is a willingness to, in every moment and in every situation ask “what is the demand of love?” and then choose that.
 
Isn’t that powerful?
 
The other morning I was reading a chapter of her book and I came across the following phrase:
 
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
 
I thought about all those times I get caught up in the narrative that something grandiose is what’s needed to make a positive difference in the world, and how because I think I lack the time or resources to do something big, I end up not taking action at all. But in reality, something small – “doing the smallest right and doing it all for love” – is so much better than doing nothing. It made me think of my grandma choosing the bigger life, and how even though tomorrow marks one whole year without her here with us, I’m thankful she’s still sending winks and guidance like this my way.
 
And I also thought about my rude, rushed moment in the park. Now, I know in the grand scheme of things, this encounter is not the biggest deal. There were plenty of other people around who were nicer than me and able to help the young woman. But the way I handled the situation is representative of who I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be too rushed or too frantic to notice the good that’s happening around me or too preoccupied to recognize opportunities to do the smallest right and do it all for love. (Yes, this is a lesson I have to keep learning… again and again)
 
I really love this reminder especially as we enter the last two months of 2021 (which…btw… how?!). As the frantic holiday season begins with all its wonderful – albeit sometimes stressful – hustle and bustle, what if I thought not only about what I was doing, but how I want to do it? More intention, less autopilot. More small acts of kindness and acting out of love rather than stress or anger. 
 
“Always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love”
 
Quite an idea, isn’t it?

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