I write this largely to convince myself that it is true. If we are bound for eternity, it would seem that every step toward or away from that goal must matter. This is what sits at the heart of Labora est ora. Every action, no matter how small, has eternal ramifications. Thus, how we keep our houses, how we drive our cars, what we choose to read or write, every action has ripples through eternity. Every action is a measure of how we employ what God has lent us for this time on Earth.
We need to remember the parable of the talents. While we may have been given only a single talent, it is better to invest it for the small interest of a savings account than to bury it entirely. Erik recently posted on the importance of cooking and meals in the Christian life (here's a continuation of the discussion). I thought the post perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but nonetheless essentially true. If one cooks well, then preparing a good meal for a family can be the most loving and Christian act one can do for one's family--it is a perfect prayer of service. So too with all of our talents small or large.
In his homily today, Fr. O'D. touched on this using our Southern footbal fanaticism. He said that, like spiritual atheletes, we are in training.
I'm intrigued by the theme. In our earthly life, we are in training for eternal life. Are we training like champions or like Vandy? Do we really see our efforts as directed towards a real goal, towards glory? Are we going through the motions or are we truly dedicated to "training" for Christ? That's something to think about.
There is quote by Maximus in the movie Gladiator that has been buzzing around in my head lately, and it fits your entry perfectly, "What we do in life echoes in eternity."
Everything we do matters, I'd say -- St. Catherine of Siena wrote that at every moment of our lives we are either moving forward or moving backward -- but I'd moderate the "every action has ripples through eternity" idea with the fact of redemption. Murderers are saved, but there are no murderers in heaven.