Jerrod Balzer

Last night, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I had one of those Hostess-type chocolate pies along with a glass of chocolate milk.

Sure, that wasn’t good for my blood sugar but I’d been good that day and it didn’t make me sick. It was worth it.

But there was a good deal of nostalgia in it for me. See, when I was five or six years old, we lived in Canton, MO and the school there, like many small towns, handled every grade. Here’s a pic of me from back then, by the way:

Next to the school, at the time, was a nice little cafe of some sort; a convenience store at the very least but it was quaint. While I rode the bus to school most of the time, there were a few times when my brother, Jimmy, would take me in his sweet 50s Chevy:

He was in high school at the time, so he was taking me on the way, but he’d take me to that little store first. There, he would buy me a chocolate pie and some chocolate milk and we’d sit at a booth to enjoy it before heading to our classes.

He’s around so he may correct me on the details. Memories from that age are fuzzy, after all. But my point is, thirty years later, I can do something as simple as eat a pie and drink some milk, and it takes me to a nice point in my life.

There are probably a million memories that I’ve forgotten, some bad, some good, but why does something like that stick out? Because sometimes, it really is the little things that count.

Keep that in mind with your kids and siblings. Taking that little bit of time from your life to do something a little extra special – it doesn’t have to be much, or expensive – can mean so much for the rest of their lives.

Now, I’ll remember Jimmy for many other wonderful things because he’s a great guy, but I will never, ever forget that little thing. What will the children in your life remember about you?

And thanks, Bro.