Ordinary Moments, Extraordinary Memories

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." ~ Emily Dickinson

 Missing someone is about those special moments when something happens and you turn to catch their eye and know that they're thinking the same thing you are... and they're not there. It's about those unforgettable times in your life, when something incredible happens and your first impulse is to call and tell them... but you can't.  It lies in the simple moments of life that you would normally share with them... those ordinary, day-to-day moments that are seemingly unimportant, but suddenly become times that you would give anything to experience again.  Those are the moments that fill your memory the most.

            When their presence is suddenly missing from activities, family get-togethers, lazy days, and quiet moments, the natural response is to wonder where they are, remember they are gone, and then feel the pain of their absence once more.  The pain in that moment is sudden, natural, involuntary.  But what about the moment after that? That second moment is the determining factor in how you will live your life.  Will that second moment also be consumed with sorrow, pain, and anger? Or will you fill it with something else?  Therein lies the key to peace.

            You can fill that second moment with memories and feel sad again, or you can fill that second moment with memories, and smile... Smile because you can see them laughing... Smile because you can remember them telling that same old joke again... Smile because you can still feel their arms around you in a warm embrace.... Smile because those moments happened.   Your memories of that person are not given to you to make you hurt each time you think of them.  God gives us those memories to remind us of his extraordinary blessings.  God gives the memories to tide us over till we can see them again. God gives the memories so that a part of them remains always with us. 

            So remember, and be at peace.  Don't ignore the pain. Don't deny the sorrow.  But embrace missing them as validation for the deep love you shared.  If the ordinary moments become extraordinary remembrances, how much more amazing will heavenly moments be?

"I'm kind of homesick for a country
To which I've never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken
for time won't matter anymore."

Remember.... and smile.