As we near the end of another year, it is an appropriate time to reflect upon the moments we all hold near and dear in our hearts and minds. We store our loving memories in a place that has no space or time and yet it always seems to remain with us.

Time flows like a gentle running stream without end pasting a stone on the shore. In that realization, the priceless moments we let go unnoticed come back to us. As human beings, we must learn to cherish each day, love every moment, and enjoy this ride called life. Too much of our lives is spent arguing over who’s wrong or right instead of focusing on solutions that makes it possible to create great achievement.

I was taught to never miss out on the moments that truly define what life is about. The amazing sunsets that take your breath away, leaving us speechless and yet descriptive in a way that words could never say. That moment you first heard someone say, “I love you” and how it took your breath away, or the first time you were touched in a very affectionate way. Can you remember that moment you first fell in love? That ultimate form of vulnerability surrendered between one another, like a bond between a child and its mother, nothing more meaningful, nothing stronger.

It’s those moments when a rainbow appears, how we forget about the rain and our eyes light up like children on Christmas day. It’s those moments that create memories to help us through our darkest times, thoughts not of what we have, but with whom we share our lives. Those special moments bringing tears of joy to our eyes by inspiring thoughts of hope that make us realize everything is going to be all right.

I remember the moment I got my first bike and how my father spent time teaching me how to ride it. Looking back, I recognize those moments were more than just teaching me how to ride a bike; he was showing me how to raise a child. The lesson I was learning at a young age showed me that the bike wasn’t as important as the time I spent with my father learning how to ride it. Although that little blue bike with the banana seat and streamers is long gone, it is the moment that has ceaselessly remained for a lifetime.

Life is short and, before you know it, another decade will have passed us by in the blink of an eye. Don’t wait until it’s too late to create a season of moments with those who matter most. As we get older, we soon realize those wrinkles on our faces aren’t from age, but from a lifetime of laughter and smiles shared between one another – from the moments that brought light to our world, a little bit at a time.

Someday, we’ll turn to our final chapter and script our very last page. And, at that moment, we will have said all we have to say. All that will be left to cherish are those memories of those moments spent with those who meant so much to us.

Wishing you and yours a pleasant and safe holiday season, one filled with truly special and lasting moments.