Moments

In Donald Miller's newest book he talks about making "moments" in your life. Having been given the task of writing a script for a movie about his life, he realizes that life is really about the moments that really stand out and everything else is just filler. He gives many examples of huge moments people create in their lives when they get up off the couch and actually do something. I agree that it is important to do big things, but I also believe that some of the best moments of life are those where we simply let life happen. Happily, we had a few of these moments this summer.

Our time in Georgia is always rushed. We have so many people to see and sometimes feel like our time is spent just getting to the next event. So, the night we stopped at a park and played with Troy this summer will always be special to me. We were returning from eating dinner and he pulled into the parking lot of a park on a whim. We all got out and headed to a baseball field. Anna Cate and I pretended to bat while Matthew stood behind us. When we swung our pretend bat, he would throw the ball as far as he could. The "batter" would take off running the bases and T would run to catch the ball and then attempt to get us out. We tired of that and moved to the playground. At this point, we began an intense game of crocodile and monkey. (a game AC and I invented based on a finger play she loved as a toddler) Troy, Matthew and I were all climbing on the equipment, hanging from the bars and running around with as much enthusiasm as AC. We left the park sweaty, laughing and totally relaxed. Everything seemed right with the world. To me, that's a moment.

The little town we found while exploring with T

Fast forward a few weeks. Matthew calls me mid-day Monday and tells me he is going to Honolulu next week and thinks we should make a long weekend of it. One big step, I said ok. (This is probably the whole idea of getting up off the couch and doing something.) And, although we have so many wonderful memories from the trip, the second night there is probably the most special to me. We had gone to Pearl Harbor earlier in the day and then returned to the hotel for some beach/ocean time. After some body surfing and taking a few turns on the hotel water slide, we grabbed a table at the little hotel bistro located pool side. With the ocean in front of us, a nice breeze surrounding us and a Jack Johnson-esque guitar player strumming in the background, we settled down for dinner. Anna Cate and I started playing telephone and giggling at the funny ways our words were getting twisted with all the other noises surrounding us. Matthew wanted in on the game, so the three of us started taking turns creating the beginning sentence or phrase. Within moments, we were all three laughing our heads off. AC would start a phrase and whisper it to me and then I would have to get up and run around the table to whisper it in Matthew's ear (who, by the way, we discovered was the weakest link in this particular game). It was simple, it was goofy and it was a very special "moment" for our little family.

At the pool in Honolulu

Sometimes it seems that our lives get filled with all the activities that we "have" to do. I'm not sure if it was Donald Miller's original idea, but I think just taking time to have authentic moments with those we love most gives our life meaning.