In the Moment
David Freund 

There are 1,440 minutes in a day. If we sleep seven hours, which experts say is the minimum for optimal health, that leaves us with 1,020 minutes awake. How aware are we of those minutes? If you are like me, they often seem to fly by, never to be seen again. I want to bring to your attention the importance of becoming much more aware of these moments. They’re priceless and precious. Once they pass, they are gone forever.

This past week, both of my parents were in the hospital — my mom on the fourth floor and my dad on the sixth. The care they received was very good, but my wife and I still spent a significant amount of time running the stairs at Community Hospital. Thankfully, they both came home the same day, and their reunion was incredibly sweet.

They’ve been married for 74 years — or 38,894,400 minutes. The moment they saw each other after being apart for eleven days was priceless. You might say it was a Hallmark moment, and I’m so grateful I was there to witness it.

My dad is failing quickly. He has lived an amazing life, and as I write this, he’s just a couple of weeks away from his 94th birthday. This morning, as he and my mom ate breakfast together, he reached out and held her hand. She leaned in and hugged him. He then said a short prayer, and even though his speech was slurred, I could still hear his gratitude for the many blessings God has bestowed upon them. Once again, it was a precious and priceless moment — one I will never forget. I’m so thankful that I was there to experience it.

The examples I shared are moments when I was blessed. But what about the moments when we can be a blessing to someone else? How often do we rush through our 1,440 minutes, moving from one urgent appointment to the next — without taking the time to share a smile, offer a hug, or speak a kind word that could make a powerful difference in someone’s day? This could be as simple as holding the door for someone, letting another driver go first at an intersection, or sending a quick text to check in. Small gestures like these can change the trajectory of someone’s entire day.

Each day that unfolds brings lessons into our lives. Whether or not we learn from them is entirely up to us. Lately, life has been offering me many lessons. I hope that I not only learn from them, but that I allow them to change me — to shape me into someone who can be a greater blessing to others.

John Wooden said it best: “Make each day your masterpiece.”  Thanks, Coach. What great advice.