“The Little Things” is a song written by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and released on the box set Tracks II: The Lost Albums in 2025.
Long before the studio version was officially released, Springsteen performed “The Little Things” live on tour between 1995 and 1997.
The refrain reads: “It’s the little things that count, it’s the little things that count, it’s the little things.”
When I reflect on my own life, it is indeed “the little things that count.”
A glass of cold beer after an afternoon in the garden.
A hot drink on a chilly winter’s day.
A small posy of flowers, bought by another as a gift, that freshens the living room.
A bowl of potpourri — the fragrant blend of dried flower petals.
A birthday or condolence card carrying good wishes or support.
Living with a disability means I am regularly on the receiving end of many “little things that count.”
In today’s Gospel we are reminded: “And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple — amen, I say to you, they will surely not lose their reward.”
Each of us, no doubt, has their own list.
There is value today in sitting in a quiet space and recalling, as Bruce Springsteen reminds us, that “it is the little things that count.”