We all have those 'Golden Moments'
which we cherish and always hold very close to our hearts. Sometimes we
do forget just how important it is to open up that treasure chest and savour
once again the warmth and quiet happiness which remembering those
special moments can bring to us when we most need comfort or reassurance.
Perhaps it is the first time you
met your future husband or held your newborn son or daughter in your arms.
The feeling which will embrace you as you recall those wonderful memories
can make almost any problem seem to fade or at the very least seem less
likely to be insurmountable. It may only comfort you for a brief time when
you have serious trouble in your life (as we all do at times) but it will
comfort
you I know. And at those times of worry or strife we all do
need a break from the stress.
I only have to look at the picture
above to again recall how the little boy who so filled my heart with
love always smelled after his bath as I tucked him into bed, or how loving
and cuddly he was, or how his tiny feet were so soft and how
I loved to nibble his toes until he giggled and squirmed because it tickled.
That picture can even fill my mind with the memory of the feeling which
invariably overcame me as I went to again give him a last good night
kiss and make certain he was still all snuggled into his blankets
as he lay asleep each night. That habit was one I had great difficulty
with ... I was still slipping into his room as I was about to myself go
to bed each night for that last gentle good night kiss on his cheek
when he was well into his teenage years! Somehow seeing him sleeping so
peacefully and knowing he was safe and only a few steps away always
made me sleep so much better as well. No problem I could be faced with
now or at any time in my life will ever negate the wonder of those golden
moments.
So many times when life brings worry or
heart ache I find myself retreating to that quiet secret part of my mind
to call on memories which remind me once again how good life really
is if we only learn to appreciate the moments which were so special
through the years. Too often we allow problems to overwhelm us and forget
that they will pass and be forgotten, and in fact are minuscule parts of
our lives when balanced on a scale with all those wonderful hours or days
spent with the people who have added so much to our lives.
Some no longer with us, some gone on to new places and lives, and wonderfully
those who have through some capricious trick of fate reappeared in
our lives long after we thought only the memories remained.
One such gift of fate occurred in my life
three years ago now. What a fantastic way to begin a new millennium ! What
had only been pleasant memories of a life long since past were my gift
as I entered this new century. So many years ago, and in another
lifetime it seemed. Until a friend from my teen age years reappeared
unexpectedly in my life and together we opened that treasure chest
of memories of those wonderfully carefree days. Suddenly those memories
came flooding back with a clarity which I would never have expected so
many years later.
Recalling those days and old friends
and realizing that although so many years had gone by we could still find
humour in the same things and recall with affection those who shared that
time with us actually had the effect of making both of us once again
relive those days of our youth which had been so much fun and so
free from the responsibilities of later years. Many months of pleasant
evenings were the reward for opening that treasure chest together.
So pleasant were those evenings that
we found ourselves after several months of reminiscing deciding to share
our lives and begin storing new memories to add to those we already shared.
This served to prove, to me at least, how very precious memories are and
how they can and do enrich our lives so much.
Now, as we enter the 'golden years' of our
lives we are so fortunate to share together, the mind plays tricks
at times. I look at my husband and see not the man others see who
is approaching the age where health problems, and the aches and pains
of the years are taking their toll but the young man of my memories
and I also am young again. Surely these are golden moments
and we are truly blessed.
Even now the memories of times past comforts
and cheers me on those days
when my husband's illness plays havoc
with his ability to see the brighter side of things and I am able
most times to lighten his mood and bring a small smile to his face.
One more reason to be grateful for the ability to remember times
which make both of us appreciate all the good times we shared then
and share now. I am fully aware that life can be very difficult at times
and I am certain that if we didn't have the capacity to remember
the wonderful moments we might all wonder why we continue to try.
But those moments remind us always that even the bad times are fleeting
in the over all scheme of things despite how it may seem when
the days seem to be filled with worry or stress.
Perhaps time teaches us to be grateful
for the knowledge, which we seem to acquire somewhere along the way,
that no one ever goes through life without paying the price for the
good days. I firmly believe one other thing ... none of us are ever
given burdens to carry which we do not have the strength to face or to
overcome. It all comes down to accepting that no one gets a free
ride in this life and shouldering the responsibility to wake up each day
determined to make this day the very best that we possibly can for
others as well as ourselves. It may surprise you to find how this will
often make the day better and brighter, and if it's one of the really
bad days ... make the problems of that day seem somewhat easier to bear.
Meaningful yesterdays ... quiet
and
tumultuous todays ... beautiful tomorrows ... all a part of the pattern
of our lives. Savour the happy moments, learn to endure and overcome
the difficult, anticipate with an optimistic viewpoint what is to come
and benefit from each in so many different ways.
Life is a miracle so please don't let it
slip away. Open your heart and give of yourself to others each day.
Always look for the beauty in everyone regardless of where they've
been because for some life is harder and the good in them more difficult
to see. Share your gifts and talents and always listen with your heart.
It's so important that you do the things you dream about but never have
the time to start. Time passes so very quickly and regrets take up far
too much time. Pick a bouquet of flowers and show someone that
you care, be gracious and forgiving as we all know life can be unfair.
Hold on to your courage because you may need it down the road for we all
have a cross to bear at times and it could be a heavy load. If you practice
all these things no matter where life takes you I promise you the golden
moments will far outweigh the troubled and gray.
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MIDI " It Had to be You"
courtesy of Les Gorven
and the
February 1st 2002
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