--- title: "Small Success: A Reciprocal Gift of Joy" description: What small successes are you celebrating this week? Sherry Antonetti hosts this fun weekly feature. --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2018/09/13/small-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy/#) # Small Success: A Reciprocal Gift of Joy Sep 13, 2018 12:30:24 PM  |  by [Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sherry-antonetti) ![](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Small-Success-dark-blue-outline-800x800.png) Some weeks, Small Success writes itself. Other weeks, it’s a hard slog to come up with a way to remind both myself and anyone who reads this, that the kindness we give each day is what each person we encounter, is owed. So when I’d suffered from insomnia, and my second oldest begged me to help her get a couch to Baltimore, it wasn’t my first choice for an afternoon. However, motherhood is about learning you could do more, you should do more, and that when you do more, there is a reciprocal gift of joy. The trip involved four children, one mom, one side journey to IKEA complete with sampling every chair they had, and navigating downtown of Baltimore while singing Journey’s Separate Ways and Bohemian Rhapsody. We made it back and she treated the family for our efforts to pizza and wings on a Monday night. As I looked at the day, the effort of driving, the hassle, the insomnia, no of that was what I remembered. What I remembered was the singing and the trying of chairs by a 22-, 16-, 14- and 9-year -old. When you pray the full Rosary, you get more benefits than the mere grace of saying the prayers. When you exercise, the benefits last beyond the workout. When you surrender your need to control life, and let yourself be generous with time even when you don’t think you have anything to give, you find there are greater gifts than what you gave returned. That’s this week’s lesson about Small Successes. Give more than you plan. Love more than you think you can. Serve more than you think is necessary. You will receive abundant graces in return. Happy Small Success Thursday! ### **What small successes are you celebrating this week?** --- *Copyright 2018 Sherry Antonetti* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F13%2Fsmall-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F13%2Fsmall-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F13%2Fsmall-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Small%20Success%3A%20A%20Reciprocal%20Gift%20of%20Joy) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F13%2Fsmall-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F09%2F13%2Fsmall-success-a-reciprocal-gift-of-joy%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Sherry%20Antonetti.jpg) ### [Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sherry-antonetti) Sherry Antonetti is a freelance writer, high school teacher and a blogger at Patheos. She and her husband live in Maryland with nine of their ten children and a puppy named Pumpkin. [**](https://twitter.com/sherryantonetti) ## Related Blog Articles [ Small Success Thursday: Summer Vacation Special Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/08/11/small-success-thursday-august-11) [ Small Success: The Side They Pierced Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/10/27/small-success-side-pierced) [ Small Success Thursday: The 4 AM Smile Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/08/25/small-success-thursday-4-smile) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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