Simple is Better – These Special Moments - Appreciate the Little Things

Matthew 6:27 – Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 

When a friend mentioned this week that it’s nearly July 4^th and summer is half over, I gasped.

What? Half over? How did this happen? Seriously?

As I get older, it feels that time just goes faster and faster. A blink and a month is gone. Two blinks and half of the year has zoomed by. Three blinks? I don’t want to think.

And yet, I also deeply believe that we must appreciate and value every day. We just don’t know when something will happen and life will change. Every day is a gift and that is why we call it the present. I say this line often and I actually believe it. The question is: do we live it?

This is the challenge I want to reflect upon each day as my feet hit the ground. Will I value and appreciate today? Will I honor it as the great gift that it is? Hubby Rick often reminds me that we will not get this day again. So how will we make the most of today? Will we appreciate the little things?

It’s easy to become consumed with the everyday things. The work, the laundry, the appointments, the . . . you will in the dots. Yes, we need regular rhythms of our days and weeks and months. But appreciating every special moment should also be high on our contentment list.  The challenge? Being able to clearly identify and honor those special moments. Too often, we assume special moments require great fanfare, planning and must be reserved for the most special of days. I’m trying to honor the special moments of each day and let these be enough. The simple, little things that really become the big stuff. Let me share a few examples.

• I had a great vacation with my friend Kristin to Glacier National Park. So. Many. Great. Moments. Seriously. In case you need inspiration to just take a trip this summer, go back to Just Take the Trip. We really consider this one of those trips of a lifetime and treated it this way.

• Yet, there are great moments in our everyday lives as well. One night this week, Hubby Rick asked me to go with him to the farm on our UTV. Just a drive to the farm where our youngest grandchild hopped on with us and we went for a ride out on the trails in the woods. One of her front teeth has been loose for a couple weeks. The previous day, it finally came out. She was so excited to show us the hole in the front of her mouth. Special moments? Just riding down the road with the love of my life and seeing a big smile to show us a gapping hole. These are special moments.

• We have twin baby fawns in our backyard. Why is this a big deal? We live in town. Yes, towards the edge of town with woods right behind our house. Every time they creep out of the woods and nibble on the leaves, we run to the windows and watch. (Well, as long as they aren’t eating the leaves on our plants, it’s all good!) These are special moments.

• Stopping for ice cream and relishing a few moments together. These are special moments.

• Spending time near water. Listening to the sounds and letting the rhythm of the water wash over you and bring a sense of calmness to your life. These are special moments.

• Appreciating a meal with friends and time of catching up. Playing cards or a game and laughing until we cry at a silly move or comment that just makes the evening. These are special moments.

• Enjoying the longer hours of sunlight, the beautiful flowers and plants, the fresh fruit and vegetables, the opportunity to sit by a fire and say that today was a good day. These are special moments.

• Relishing the ball games, the wins and the losses. The teamwork and the cheering. These seasons will not last forever. Celebrate a good hit, a dramatic catch, the commitment of family to support young people’s dreams. These are special moments. 

• The confirmation, graduation, weddings and anniversary events and parties. The determination it takes to accomplish these big life events is remarkable and a choice. 

The summer will go too fast. We won’t get enough boat rides and sunset watching. Unless we make the choice. The years are long but the moments short. I pray that every day we will look for special moments. Honor them. Appreciate them. Take mental photographs of them. Write them down. Give thanks for them. Express gratitude that you have wonderful moments in your life no matter what else is going on.

Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present. I pray you capture every special moment you can from each and every day.

Blessings –

Dianne

Loving God – Thank you for bringing so much goodness into my life. When I feel overwhelmed or distracted, may a moment of goodness and gratitude flood my heart and soul. Encourage me to treat each day as the special day and moment that it is. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook and Instagram (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith.)