We all have those special moments in our lives that we think back on. Some of these memories are of ordinary days and some are of a day that changed our lives forever. These are the thoughts that bring us through tough times. Even in our darkest moments, if we think about a certain experience it somehow makes us feel better. I think we all should make a “happy list” of these special memories to remind us of the joys we’ve experienced in our lives.

Memories

I’ll always remember an April morning 14 years ago. My daughter was expecting her first child, my first grandchild, and had been in labor for a very long time. My Tara Marie is only five foot tall and her sweet husband is six foot two. I was so worried waiting outside her room. They had decided that only her and Brian would be present for the birthing, but it was more than I could take.

I pushed open her door and saw my daughter surrounded by nurses and machines. As I reached the side of her bed she caught my hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Mom, I can’t do this,” she whimpered to me.

“Yes, you can sweetheart,” I said with as much conviction as possible.

“How?” she replied.

“You just hang on and get through it,” I said.

A few hours later, with 15 family members and friends praying just outside the room, the doctor began to massage olive oil on the tip of a sweet head. Shortly after, I witnessed a miracle and was just inches away when my first grandchild took his very first breath.

Family

Perhaps even more than the birth of my own children, I look back on that memory and still feel the goosebumps and smell the sweet breath of my Punk fresh from God. I was so thankful for him and that his mother was fine. It was a day I will never forget and still brings me endless joy.

I have many memories that can lift my spirits whenever they come to mind. Like my daddy hiding Easter eggs all over the house because I had the chicken pox and couldn’t go outside. My mother also remembers a day about a month later when she found a very stinky egg behind the couch!

What sweet memories do you hold on to and think about from time to time? Are they of weddings and birthdays? Do you think about a special vacation you took with your kids and spouse? Is one of your memories of sitting in church and suddenly were filled with the awesomeness of God? Maybe it’s the first time your child said, “Mommy” or “Daddy” or “I love you.”

We have to hold on to these special memories and share them when we can. I have notes from my children who are now long grown with kids of their own. These notes said how much they appreciated the mama that I was and am. They say they now see the sacrifices I made to give them a good life. These are priceless memories and somehow make anything else I’ve done in life pale in comparison.

In a big old negative world, we have to think of joy and happiness. We can’t let the bad things that have happened rule our lives. I do my best to be grateful and think of the sweetest moments and look to the future to make a ton more.