The many joyous events of our lives seem to slip through
our fingers. That first birthday party, the first steps, or that
first tooth are just for a moment and then - what happens
to these wondrous opportunities to see the reason for life
and to relish what you see in your child?

Elderly people are a treasure chest of experiences, facts,
and stories that are made so precious because they were
there and they actually “did that”. Sometimes there are a
few embellishments along the way, but no harm. In fact,
the personality of the story teller just rings through brighter
and more vivid.

Even everyday events such as sunsets, the first flower of the

season, the ripe red tomato that clings to the vine, that robin
that wakes you in the morning, and so on. Where do these
wondrous time capsules go when the next one arrives to take
its place?

They are in someone’s heart and they are etched in the memory
of the beholder. Never does a single moment just vanish. It is not
released into space, never to be thought of again. Holding a child’s
hand is right there in your fingertips. You never forget the warmth
and tiny curled fingers around yours. The smile when you come home
from your little one finds a place in your beating heart. Grandpa sitting
on the

porch rocking in the twilight hours can be found in your soul if
you ever want to retrieve it. These wonders of life are not meant to be
one-time, soon gone, lost forever parts of life. In fact, they are life.

There will be times when out of the blue you see something in a store
window or notice the rain glistening on the grass that a memory will
trigger a long forgotten scene from your life. The warmth that this
brings is what lights the fire of motivation. Those little feet that you
held in one hand, the wrinkled face of someone who was such an
important part of your childhood, and even the birthday

candles on
your fifth birthday cake are still there. You are the person you are
because of all these “little moments.” If even a single one was
changed or it happened in a different way, you would be different.
The circumstances of your life are the imprints that you feel with
every heartbeat and every breath. You can’t escape them, for they
are you.

Don’t worry that time will erase all that you see at this very moment.
There is no way that what your eyes see, and your hands touch, what
your ears hear and the delicacies that you taste will vanish. It is like a
fine tapestry with some colors as vivid as the

rose in the early morning
or as muted as a cloud passing by. However, if one color was to be
changed, that tapestry would not be the work of art that it is. Cherish
every single event in your life and know that nothing is lost with time.
It is only held in the safe places of your being and will rekindle when you
need them the most. Enjoy life whether it be on a wind swept beach or
in the park pushing a child in a swing. You are a work in progress and
the final one- of- a- kind miracle is a combination of every moment, be it
as large as your wedding day or as small as the tiny eyelashes on a
sleeping child. Experience them now and each will become a part of
you. Isn’t life truly a work of art?

Arleen M. Kaptur
June, 2007

Arleen M. Kaptur has written many books and articles on everyday living and finding peace and joy in all we do.