The moment. We all have them. First, our minds go to the big ones. The ones that define. That mark. My wedding day. The day we adopted Samuel. But ahh so much of life is lived in the daily. The thousand moments that go unnoticed. The hundreds of decisions that snowball into the portrait of our life.
My wedding day was one of my favorite days. Really. They say it will go fast. But mine didn’t. I felt like I lived the whole day in slow motion. Soaking in every smile that looked upon me, representing thirty three years of my life. Drinking in the words and advice and funny stories from people who scanned the country and knew us in so many different stages.
But that moment only happened because of previous ones occurring on a less grand stage. It happened because while playing trivial pursuit one night with a group of friends, there was a moment when I thought “the tall guy with curly hair is really smart and I like how I feel when I’m around him”. And in the moments that followed I bravely followed the still voice that said open your heart up to this one.
The everyday moments. They are the moments that slice through time and make a grocery trip sacred. The ones that when embraced, they unlock our soul while painting a child’s room.
They happen while washing dishes and walking the dog. They rise up when we are reading Scripture or meditating on a poem or scanning the school lunch menu. They sometimes try to grab our attention with a shout of profoundness. Sometimes they are a quiet whisper we brush off of our shoulder.
And either way, I can all too often shut them down before they have strength to arise. I shake it off and wash the next dish. A verse grabs me, but I don’t let it settle because I have to check ‘quiet time’ off my list. I move on to the next thing. I turn off an emotion I don’t have time to feel right now. I worry what the woman pushing her grocery cart next to mine will think. I can have a different excuse for every sabotage.
Ahh, but when I don’t. When I don’t cut it off. When I don’t doubt my own heartbeat. Those are the moments when beauty breaks through. They are the shining examples of knowing I am not alone. I am seen. I am known. I am loved.
My heart becomes more of me, the larger part of me. It sings and laughs and cries. It knows it is made by a greater hand. A hand that will protect from harm and clap in celebration. A hand that will guide in darkness and embrace in sorrow.
It may be a split second in a busy day. But it is there, every day. Every day offering redemption. Every day offering strength. Everyday reminding of truth.
When I notice those moments I can carry on living in an upside down world. Those glimpses, those moments give perspective. They help me see which way is my true north. They bring me back to what is noble and right and pure.
Those moments. Those are the ones I want to notice.
Last year I joined in with The Nester in her “31 Days” series. I took the challenge to write every day for the month of October on a topic of your choosing. I chose 31 Days of Noticing Fall. (you can read them here if you would like!)
Since Noticing seems to be a theme of my writing, this year I am choosing to write on 31 Days of Noticing the Moment. I’d love if you would join- either in writing for 31 Days or in Noticing the Moment in your days along with me. In any case, go look at all the great topics others are writing on!
This post will also serve as the landing page, an index for all 31 posts. You can always come here to see all days in the series:
Day 1: Blessed Be Your Name (noticing in music)
Day 2: Noticing Early Mornings (noticing in scripture)
Day 3: Walking the Dog (noticing how to’s)
Day 4: Teach Me (noticing in poetry)
Day 5: Set My Heart Free (noticing in scripture and nature)
Day 6: What I Noticed Today (noticing in nature and photography)
Day 7: It’s Not About the Pumpkin (noticing in life)
Day 8: No Grumpy People Allowed (noticing in life and photography)
Day 9: Grace Comes Home (noticing in life)
Day 10: Remembering Adoption and Last Year’s Going Home
Day 11: Noticing Your Works (noticing in Scripture)
Day 12 & 13: A Weekend Away (noticing while camping)
Day 14: Slowing Down Scripture (noticing in scripture/how to)
Day 15: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
Day 16: He Sings Over Us
Day 17: The Creek Runs All Night
Day 18: Noticing the Laundry
Day 19: Be Still and know
Day 20: The Tenderness of Almost Seven
Day 21: How we notice
Day 22: An Ode to the Cardinals and Red Sox
Day 23: Hello Morning Guest Post
Day 24: What the Leaves Say
Day 25: Letting Go of Nets
Day 26: Love Loves Unto Purity
Day 27: Breathing Grace
Day 28: Mercy not Sacrifice
Day 29: Mall Alarms and Listening to my Son
Day 30: Prayer for a Tired Branch
Day 31: When Noticing is Hard
A huge thanks to Lisa Beets for designing and creating my button! You can always click on it, over on the right there and see all the posts.
PS If you would like to receive each day’s post in your inbox, head up to the subscribe button in the upper right corner. Enter your email. Although it will say accepted, you will still need to check your email and verify a link you will be sent.
Thanks Melanie. I’m in!
“When I notice those moments I can carry on living in an upside down world. ” Amen! Looking forward to reading your posts this month 🙂