Making the Most of Moments

As I browse through our wedding pictures and think about life I can't believe how quickly the time goes. As a child I remember thinking that time lasted forever. The school days seemed long, and events I was eager for would NEVER arrive. I now know how misguided I was in my child's perspective.

The older I get the more I realize how important it is to live in the moments. We get so busy with our day to day lives, with the business of living that we fail to take advantage of the moments. We always assume that we will have more time later. We think, "If I can just get this one thing finished then I'll take time out for family and friends." That thinking isn't good.

Last year I was reminded that we don't control our lives. A girl I know well (my sister's best friend) was at a hockey game with her husband when he got really sick and had to be rushed to the ER. He never left the hospital alive. One minute he was playing hockey and the next his wife was planning his funeral.

We don't control much. We can do everything possible to live healthy lives, and that doesn't guarantee us any extra days. Being healthy can improve our life quality, but not our quantity of days.

One thing my friend says, and one thing I know from losing my best friend a few years ago, when someone you love dies what you miss most are the moments. You want just a few more moments. Nothing fancy, just time to be together and enjoy each other.

The moments don't have to be fancy. Take time to hug your spouse and just stand together and be with each other. Go for a walk in the park with your friends. Call your Grandma and tell her you love her. Take your kids outside and kick the ball around.

Making the most of the moments doesn't have to cost any money. In fact, a lot of the best moments are free- they are the walks, the hugs, the times playing ball, the phone calls, or the afternoon in the kitchen baking together.

We are so busy and we assume that we will have time later to take a time out. Don't get so caught up in life that you fail to honestly live it. The old cliche is right. Life isn't measured in the number of breaths we take, but in the number of moments that take our breath away.

What are you going to do to have a breath taking moment with your family and friends this week?

-JP-