Our lives are a series of moments.. special moments, moments that are wonderful, moments that aren’t so wonderful, moments that have special meaning, ordinary everyday kinds of moments, moments when we feel an enormous amount of love, moments when we feel especially connected to another person, moments when we feel especially connected to God, moments that are spent doing our favorite things, moments of great joy, and sometimes moments of sadness or despair. For those of us who have lived a long life, we could go on and on with a listing and remembrance of all of the memorable moments in our lives. And, of course, each of us would have a unique list of those moments.. the favorite ones, the most memorable, the happiest, and unfortunately, those that caused despair and sadness.
With all of those moments to try to remember, I feel it is best to concentrate on those that have made a positive difference in our lives. We are all unique beings who are made up of all the biological parts that have formed us and the experiences that we have had along the way.. all of this has influenced us in one way or another. Some of these influences have been positive and some have been negative, but what defines us is how we are able to weave them all together to create a life that has meaning and substance and purpose.
I can only hope and pray that I’ve been able to weave those moments in my own life together to create a positive and purposeful life. I can only hope and pray that I have had a positive influence on the people I love and care about.. that I have helped bring them joy, unwavering support, and hope.. that they have felt all the love I’ve carried in my heart for them.. that they know that their love is the most important thing in the world to me. I can only hope and pray that I’ve taken enough of the moments in my life to express the love I feel and to be there to help and support the special people I love and care about. When it really comes down to it, there really are only so many moments we all have to do the really important things.. and it’s up to each of us to figure out what those things are.. and to then spend as many precious moments as we can.. doing them.

~ Carole Carter – words and photograph