Today is Veterans Day when we honor military veterans who have served in the Armed Forces for the United States and several other countries. Let’s all extend a huge THANK YOU to the veterans we know who have a sacrificed so much for each one of us who live in this incredible country we call home.

Yesterday I enjoyed the privilege of interacting with dozens and dozens of our current military personnel at Schriever Space Force Base on the southeastern edge of Colorado Springs. Every other week, my rough collie girl, Maisie, and I join a pet therapy team in boosting the spirits of the men and women of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force stationed at Schriever.

I am beyond honored to be a part of this volunteer team to bring on the smiles as we visit office cubicles, training rooms and the hallways of classified areas. (Even if I could tell you what the guardsmen and airmen are doing on their computers, I’d have to kill you. Just kidding….)

Little Things Are the Big Things

Because we cannot carry any cell phone or electronics into the Schriever office buildings, I can’t take photos of Maisie on duty. But here are a couple recent photos of her in her Halloween Wonder Woof Woof costume. Yesterday, the military staff were still talking about how fun it was to see Maisie confidently greeting them in her spiffy red, white and blue.

Writer Robert Brault reminds us, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” On this Veterans Day, and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wonder what little things grace our days that we may miss.

What are those little things with more importance than we may realize? Maybe it’s thanking a veteran for serving. Or perhaps it’s bringing a smile to a current military member (Maisie can give you pointers). What about pausing to talk to a widowed neighbor or bringing a meal to a hurting friend? Or what seeds of gratitude do we sow when we notice and thank a store cashier?

Little Things Truly Do Matter

I can attest that little things do add up to the big things. Just ask our military veterans and current service members. If a gun is not properly loaded, the ramifications could be deadly. If someone is asleep on duty, the enemy can invade.

The little things truly do matter as we all go about our day-to-day routines and even those special times of volunteering or being there for others in need. As I like to tell our military staff at Schriever, “Maisie is serving our country one ear rub and hip massage at a time.” You should see the full-fur massages she garners from the military men and women!

Your little gifts of service and mine (and Maisie’s) are not expensive, but they are invaluable. On Veterans Day and every day throughout the year, let’s keep giving these little-yet-big gifts away.