All Of Our Moments

When I was a boy we always spent a week every summer visiting my Grandmother in Tennessee. She lived with my Aunt and Uncle in a quiet little town near the Great Smokey mountains. Before the interstates were completed it often took 8 hours driving up and down curvy, mountainous roads to get there, but it was worth it. My Mom was always so happy to see her Mom, sister, and family again. The days there were always filled with visiting relatives, fun activities, and big suppers that made every stomach smile. The best times of all, though, were the evenings. It was then that everyone would gather on the front porch. The swing, glider, and steps would all be full of people sitting and talking. As neighbors dropped by more chairs would be brought out from the dining room. The stories, jokes, and laughter would continue on as the sun set and the stars rose. When it got late my Mom would send me to bed, but I would still stay awake listening to the sounds of happiness drifting in from the porch to my bedroom until their gentle music would put me to sleep like a lullaby.

Looking back on those summer evenings from 35 years ago makes me wish that all of our moments here could be so sweet. I wish that all of our moments could be filled with such love, laughter, happiness, and togetherness. I know too that they all can’t be that way, but the truth is a lot more of them could be if we made the effort.

God loves us and God has given each of us a wonderful and powerful gift called choice. We use this gift everyday of our lives. We use it moment by moment. Why not use it to create love and happiness? Why not use it to share laughter and togetherness as my family did on those summer evenings long ago? Leo Buscaglia wrote that: "Even for the longest lived of all, time of life is limited. Why not live it in joy?" That choice is ours to make in all of our moments.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella Copyright © 2008 (joecool@wirefire.com) -- submitted by: Joseph Mazzella ]