Moments in Time

 Often, we measure a life by major accomplishments and milestones. Graduations, marriages, births, career triumphs, death. 

The fleeting moments in between tend to blur in the midst of the larger moments. The small number of achievements get more attention than the enumerable mundane moments, even though the bulk of our lives is spent in these quiet moments. Moments in time, forever in the past. 

My husband passed away on October 30th. And while he had some awesome achievements in his life, hiking the rim of the Grand Canyon, mapping caves, fighting forest fires ... those aren't the things I miss. I miss the simple moments. He would always try to make us smile. Sometimes by pulling a prank, like the time he tried to swap my coffee for instant. Did he really think I wouldn't know? 

I miss cooking something new and waiting to see if he liked it. I love cooking for others and watching people enjoy what I made. My kids are too picky to appreciate new recipes, preferring to stick to chicken tenders and pizza. I miss him coming home with brisket after I had a rough work day. He always seemed to just know when the day was stressful enough to call for brisket - maybe it was my moments of growling at the computer filtering throughout the house lol. 

He wasn't the type of man to buy flowers. He would buy brisket or a book or fold the laundry. He would sometimes run and get a white mocha and a pastry. Small things that when you do them for others you might think they don't matter. They do.

Small acts that show care are a quiet way of saying "I love you", " I care about your needs" , "I want you to be happy." 

We should never let ourselves think that what we do doesn't matter. Even if you don't see the impact the small things you do add up. And while it may seem cliche, I would  encourage you dear reader, to find a small act of kindness to do for someone you love. It doesn't have to cost anything. Putting away dishes, folding laundry (unless they demand it be folded with military precision - that might be a huge undertaking), little things make a difference. Small moments in time. 

The main thing is to take time for your family. Build memories. Take that family photo, no matter how much you want to protest, play the games, and spend time together. We aren't given knowledge of when our last moment will be, so make the most of what you have in the quiet moments. Those are the ones, your loved ones will value the most.