Priorities | 100 Words

What Is Big? What Is Little?

July 12th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

It depends.

Devil’s Den was the site of a major Gettysburg Battle on July 2, 1863. However, during multiple family trips to Gettysburg beginning in the 1990s, Devil’s Den was not a “must see.”

Why?

It was a pile of stones. Seemingly, unimpressive stones.

Devil’s Den (DD), left of me, as seen from Little Round Top (LRT).

Little Round Top, the site of a major Gettysburg battle on the same date, was impressive. My family visited Little Round Top during each Gettysburg trip.

If I zoomed my camera lens while at Little Round Top, Devil’s Den had more substance.

Eventually standing on and among Devil’s Den boulders was the only way I understood how imposing the battle site was.

How little is Devil’s Den? It depends on where I’m standing.

How big is Little Round Top? It depends on where I’m standing.

LRT monuments as seen from the DD parking lot.

How big are my problems? How big are others’ problems? It depends. Am I looking from a distance or am I standing in the middle?

Are you far away or up close?

Priorities

So, What Did You Do Today?

April 5th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

I didn’t get anything done.

I may have had significant conversations, exercised, prayed, and attended a Bible Study, but if I hadn’t written, cleaned, or organized, I felt like I hadn’t gotten anything done.

Along the way, I learned that my and others’ priorities were revealed by whether we counted our activities as “getting something done.”

This discovery began with my husband. Many times, when I asked about his day he answered,

I didn’t get anything done today because …

My husband had accomplished much, and it was part of his job description, but I learned that his answer meant he hadn’t done the part of his job that mattered most to him.

I eventually realized a pattern in my assessments. To believe I had accomplished something, I needed proof: words on a page, objects in their place, or a clean room. Bible study, prayers and conversations were discounted because the results couldn’t be seen or touched. Their impact might not be revealed during my lifetime.

What counts on the days I don’t write?

The world doesn’t necessarily need more great artists. It needs more decent human beings.
Keep going by Austin Kleon

So, what did you do today?

Friendship, Priorities, Relationships

Goodbye, Dear Friend

January 19th, 2025
Mollie T. Cox

When people die, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to give them up.
C.A. Belmond

The photo is blurry. The memory is clear.

Why do I cherish a dark, blurry photo?

Because the photo was taken in the middle of a heartfelt conversation with my dear friend. I still hold a slight grudge against the person who interrupted us that morning and took the photo.

Kathleen and I corresponded for years before we met in person—two days prior to this photo. She and her husband traveled over 300 miles to be at a major event in my life. Why? Because that’s what friends do, even if you only know each other through an online book group.

I communicated with Kathleen regularly. However, her name had been on my “to write” list since her husband passed in October. I wanted to write the perfect remembrance and the perfect Christmas thank you note. I trust Kathleen knew my heart because she won’t receive those words. I woke on Saturday to the news of her unexpected passing.

So, let’s all agree to say the imperfect words while we still have time.

Grief is the price we pay for love. Queen Elizabeth II