In our obsession for the so-called great things of life, we might overlook things that really matter.

It had been awhile since we had seen Isabela. We met her in the streets about a year ago. For a homeless teen, she was unusually reserved. Most of the teens and children are open to any adult attention, but not Isabela. She stood and watched us from afar for a week or so before approaching us.

The first thing she asked for was a blank piece of paper. She wanted to draw. She sat next to us and drew quietly. She never said a word, but she wanted to be near us. The next day she shared a little bit more about herself.

Her story is no different from those of the other teenage girls. She was placed in a state orphanage, where she spent most of her teenage years. She ran away to the streets before she turned 18 because the orphanage officials were going to send her back home. Isabela is very private, and she didn’t elaborate on the circumstances that placed her in the orphanage. We are realizing that it isn’t necessary to know everything about their past. There is nothing we can do to change it.

God has placed this young girl in our lives in the here and now. We don’t need to probe into her past to know her. We can spend time with her and allow her to share whatever she wants. We saw Isabela almost every day for a week or so, and then she decided to move to another area outside the one where we work.

These children are nomadic, moving around several areas in the city before returning to the center where we work. Occasionally we venture out to these areas to look for them. By chance, we saw Isabela again about six months later, running into her while on a walk. She was genuinely happy to see us and gave us a hug. Then, among the wide array of subjects she spoke about, she mentioned something curious. “Do you remember doing my nails?” she asked Mary. This was one of her fondest memories of our short time together.

I had bought her a nice book, and we had done other activities with her, but she remembered something as mundane as painting her nails with Mary. I’m not offended that she didn’t remember the book, although it took us a while to find it. I thought that was a big thing, but her fondest memory was doing nails with Mary.

Isabela doesn’t even remember the book. That gift was a one-time event, but Mary painted her nails frequently because she wanted something to do with the girls.

Sometimes things we think of as mundane are the very ones that have an eternal impact in our lives. Perhaps the eternal shines through the mundane instead of through the great and grandiose events.

Perhaps we are missing out on the great things by overlooking these so-called mundane activities.

Before we left Isabela, she reminded us of her upcoming birthday. I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it. We thought about getting her a small cake but decided to get a small kit of manicure products instead.

On Isabela’s birthday, she was happy to see us. She received the gift but said that she didn’t really want us to give her anything. She just wanted to see us. She wanted to be remembered. “Did you bring some paper?” she asked.

We sat down and drew together for two hours. This is how she wanted to spend her birthday: doing something simple with people she knows care for her.

What seems mundane becomes important when done with love.