Don’t Blink – InspireMore

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Time. It waits for no one. It refuses to stand still and marches forward with perfect pace.  Regardless of whether we want it to speed up, beg it to slow down, or wish we could hold on to the parts that have already past, it remains still unchanged. It is fleeting, yet always continuing onward.

Time itself is invisible, but the moments within it are so very evident. The smiles we give, the embrace’s we feel, the milestones we celebrate, the lessons we learn, and the love we teach. We live in those moments…that is, until we don’t.

With each step we take along life’s path we leave one chapter behind while moving forward into the next pages of our story. But in the strides between the past and the unknown that awaits, are those precious moments we reside in.

So then what are we doing with these heartbeats we are so graciously given? What are we saying with the cherished breaths God grants us with each new sunrise? Are we speaking life to each other or are we destroying relationships? Are we allowing ourselves to be present in the present, or are our thoughts and minds so far removed from reality that we can’t even enjoy loved ones who are longing for nothing more than [you guessed it]…our time?

Time is priceless, yet if not spent wisely…it WILL cost us. It’s arrival and departure are only but a breath apart. Time doesn’t care how many zero’s are on your paycheck or how many holes are in your socks. It is no respecter of persons and cares not if you’re rich or poor, old or young. Time won’t rewind and there are no instant replays. If you want happy memories, then you must create them. Five years from now, what do you hope to remember from this day? Make THAT happen TODAY and then do it again tomorrow. Because when our time is up (and one day it surely will be), we aren’t going to be thinking about what make and model our cars are, the name of the neighborhood our homes are in, or what brand of clothes hangs in our closets. No, the things of significance aren’t things at all, but instead are the moments we spend loving, playing, laughing, crying, and praying with those we hold dear. Time is the one gift that should always be re-gifted.

My sweet Hannah Grace who inspired me to create the featured image above for her birthday will turn 6 years old in just a few days, and oh how the moments have mounted up with wings and soared away. No matter how much I wish time would slow down so I could keep her a little girl for just a bit longer, her life’s pages just keep on turning as time refuses to honor my slightly selfish request. It seems like just yesterday I looked at her for the very first time. But it wasn’t ‘just yesterday’, it was actually almost 2,190 yesterdays ago, and those days went on by just as quickly as they came. So I will continue to do the one thing I know that can literally freeze my memories of her, because let’s face it, flashbacks fade with age, and I don’t ever want to forget the detailed absolute joy she brings to literally everything she does (yes even the sass:)… So I’ll take the picture.

And at some point in the future when she’s all grown up and the wrinkles of age have well settled in on my face as I sit on my front porch swing, I will pull this picture out of my keepsake box and be immediately taken back to this beautiful moment. My precious little girl twirling in her frilly dress in the sunshine without a care in the world, while singing her heart out whether she knows the right words to the song or not. Today this is my favorite memory of her, but tomorrow we’ll make a brand new one;) 

Make the memories, take the pictures, play in the summer rain with your kids, let them stomp in puddles, make a fool of yourself, feel deeply, give grace, and love on purpose…do All.The.Things. Cherish the moments you have with those you love now, because a time will come, when timewill not come. So give them something to remember every single day, and whatever you do…Don’t blink.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace…He hath made everything beautiful in his time…” Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 & 11 KJV

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…” Philippians 1:3 KJV

: Produced by Stephanie Mullowney and published on 25/04/2020 Source