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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Thought for the Day # 20 – Saturday April 4, 2020

“Small Gestures”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Small gestures.

When you want to show your love for your close ones, your husband, your
wife, your children, your parents, you imagine, you look for grand gestures.
For example, during the school break, many go skiing as a family in
the Laurentians or the Eastern Townships. Others go to Cuba or to Disney
World. We look for a grand gesture because it has the power to bring the family
together. We love these times!

However, when we are not capable of making these, such as now during the
pandemic, why not rediscover the small things? Why not rediscover the power
of little gestures to touch the heart?

A small gesture may sometimes seem mundane, insignificant. In a hyperactive
life it could even pass unnoticed! But in these days now, where life seems
‘stopped’, why not rediscover them? In a family, among friends, even with
social distancing, why not have a look? And from among these small acts of
love, these little gestures, once we have discovered them anew, why not choose
those we could continue to practise afterwards?

If during this time, we rediscover the small gestures that we used to make
or practise but have let go, or if we discover new ones, after we have come
through this ordeal, we could tell ourselves that even though it has been a
difficult moment, it was also an opportunity to rediscover the little acts and
gestures of love in daily life.

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 31