Larry VanHouse
This Little Light of Mine
Family, friends, and gratitude. These three things are more than just words; they are the essence of a meaningful and fulfilling life. They are the pillars that have supported me through the darkest days and the brightest moments. While I’ve not always understood their importance, life has a way of teaching us how much these connections and feelings matter.
Family: Our First Circle of Support
Family has always been my anchor. I remember so many weekends spent running around my grandparents’ yard with my cousins, or sitting on the covered porch listening to stories that somehow made me feel connected to something much bigger than myself. My family has been my biggest supporter, even when I didn’t always make it easy. Even with his gruff demeanor and workaholic-induced long hours, my dad did his best to give us a full, enjoyable life and stressed the importance of the extended family. My mom? Her hugs and forgiving nature made the world feel safe again, no matter how old I got. My brother and sister were the glue to our family and both, in their own way, made sure we didn’t get too busy or distracted and drift away from each other. I can’t tell you how often I’d be on the phone with one, only to have the other call in. I think conference calling was invented specifically for my family!
But family isn’t always about perfection. Like anyone else, we’ve had our moments of conflict and misunderstanding. Some disagreements seemed huge at the time but later revealed themselves as just another opportunity to learn about each other and develop our relationships further. What stands out the most is that my family has always shown up for me, even when it was tough. Those simple, everyday gestures – the check-in texts, the silly group phone calls and chats, the surprise visits – remind me I belong to a circle that will never break.
Friends: The Family We Choose
If family is the foundation, then friends are the color and vibrancy that fill in the rest. I am incredibly grateful for my friends, who have become like family. There’s my best friend from my youth, who knew me better than I knew myself and always seemed to have the right words (or sometimes just the right amount of silence) to get me through. It’s a friendship that has spanned so many seasons of life – from our carefree, young adult days to the stress of parenting and now to the joy of grandparenting!
And then there are those friends who pop up out of nowhere and change your life forever. Like the friends I’ve met at church who turned out to share my love for long, meaningful conversations about life and all its mysteries. Or the work friends that stick around even when the jobs are relegated to the past and still love to catch up over breakfast and share our lives.
True friends are the ones who choose to stick around not because they have to, but because they want to. They won’t let me stay down, they encourage my dreams (even when they seem foolish to everyone else), and they remind me not to take myself too seriously. They have taught me to embrace the power of vulnerability and to find joy in the little things.
Gratitude: The Secret Ingredient for a Happy Life
Then there’s gratitude, a lesson I’ve learned and relearned throughout my life. It’s the quiet, powerful practice that has shifted my perspective more times than I can count. Gratitude isn’t just about appreciating the big things, like a promotion, a vacation, or a holiday. It’s about finding joy in the little moments, like a hot cup of coffee in the morning, an unexpected text from a friend, the quiet evening walks with my wife that let me clear my head and open my heart.
I’ve found that a simple moment of gratitude can make all the difference when everything feels like it’s falling apart. I actively practice gratitude. For years, I wrote down at least three things for which I was grateful on a daily basis. That practice is now embedded into my thinking. I always try to start and end the day remembering all the reasons I have to be grateful. I remember one tough day when everything seemed to go wrong. I felt overwhelmed, lost, and unsure of what to do next. But then, I sat down and wrote a list of things I was grateful for: my family’s love, my friend’s support, the sunny weather, my secret joy (mission trips). It didn’t fix everything, but it changed how I felt. I started to see the good again, which gave me the strength to keep going.
The Magic Thread
When I think about what makes life truly rich, it always comes back to these three things: family, friends, and gratitude. They are the threads that weave together a tapestry of love and joy, even in the face of challenges. I’ve learned that no matter what happens, I can get through anything as long as I have my people and a sense of gratitude.
So, here’s my personal invitation to you: take a moment today to reach out to someone you love, whether it’s a family member, a friend, or someone you are grateful for. Send that text, make that call, or simply sit quietly and think about what they mean to you. Life is too short not to cherish the people who make it so beautiful. Because, in the end, it’s the love we give and receive, the friendships we build, and the gratitude we feel that truly make our lives full of joy and meaning.
