My ABC's of Making Moments Matter

Making memories and moments matter doesn’t require money! Just thought I should throw that out there right off the bat. In fact, most of the best moments in life are free. Isn’t that amazing, even a bad economy can’t rob us of the moments in our lives that matter the most! There are some things that I have found helpful for making my moments matter, sort of an ABC for living life to the fullest and easy principles to share.

“A” would be “awe”. Living in awe. I love the word “awesome” because it is the best word for describing all the amazing ways God blesses us (big and small) every day! So I get excited over little things (ask anyone who knows me well), hummingbirds at my feeder, they are magical, a pink sky at sunset, my grandkids funny antics and sayings can bless me for days, the way God nudges me just in time to get to an appointment I’ve forgotten about, and the list could go on. So “A” is for living in awe, an awesome way to live!

“B” is for “be prepared”. I have learned that to make my moments matter and to make memories I have to be prepared. For example, when I’m wearing my Grammie hat, I am prepared to set aside distractions and focus on my grandchildren, I like to have fun snacks and activities at hand when they arrive, so I’m always prepared to put on my Grammie hat, even if they pop in unexpectedly. In practical terms, that means the cookie or candy jars are usually filled, the toys, games and books are easily at hand, and most importantly Grammie is always ready to make a memory! As time goes on, I’ll post some of our fun memory making times here.

“C” is for “capture”. It’s no secret that I LOVE taking pictures and capturing special moments, or even ordinary moments (which are often the moments that matter the most). There are, however, many other ways to “capture” moments that matter. Retelling after the fact so others can enjoy the moment, journaling a memorable moment (just for the record, I’ve never done this successfully, but have friends who are very faithful with their journaling), and playing the “remember when” game with those who shared the moment at a later time, just to name a few. Why is this important, because part of making moments matter is making the most of each one and remembering lessons learned, fun times had, and enjoying the afterglow. Believe me, the afterglow of a special visit with family or friend (or hummingbird) has often brightened a less memorable day.

So this week I had an awesome walk in the rain with my 5 year old granddaughter, Nora. It included puddle splashing, acorn kicking, the sound of rain on our umbrellas, the smell of damp fallen leaves and lots of Nora chatter! I was prepared with a yellow ducky umbrella for her and an umbrella for me and puddle splashing shoes (a Grammie must have). I did capture the moment with my camera. It didn’t cost a penny, but as far as moments that matter it was priceless.

Want to share the things that help you make the most of YOUR moments? I'd love know how you live in awe, be prepared and capture your memories.