Wasted Moments

There is a song out by Keith Urban that is called, “Wasted Time.”  The first time I heard it, I thought, “Those words are so true!”

For most of us, we make elaborate efforts to create memories. Especially as parents, we outdo ourselves on our kids’ birthday parties, on holiday celebrations, on baking food for a party, on vacations.

And those all show our love. Our efforts ALWAYS show our love.

But….a great deal of our treasured moments in life, are in the unplanned. In the moments of life that most people would refer to as “wasted time.”

Spontaneity is a gift in life, because those moments come from someone’s heart. The words, the actions, the time spent together – they are unplanned. They are simply expressions of who we are, and how we feel about life, and those we share it with.

Wow.

As I sit here, writing this piece, I can think of SO many lazy, spontaneous, unplanned, “wasted” moments in life, that have become so fond to my heart.

I think of walking down to the dock to eat lunch one summer up at the lake, with my sister and my mom. And suddenly, we were bowling with our grapes.

I think of taking the mattress out in our backyard and looking up at the sky to the stars, talking, and laughing with my husband and kids.

I think of being on a road trip and suddenly, due to where we had just been, finding every song we played on my IPOD to encompass a theme to where we were.  Some were farfetched. Some were outright stupid. But it was hilarious. Memorable. And my kids still bring it up sometimes.

I think of standing in the street, holding hands with a homeless man, as he asked me to pray for him. So there my family huddled in prayer – for a stranger.

Or, shopping with my girls and ending up having hilarious moments in the dressing room.

Wasted moments? I think not. Maybe they didn’t contribute to world peace. But they contributed to our life. To our love for each other.

There is so much busyness in life. Our heads can get so full of thoughts, to-do’s, and emotions of circumstances and challenges. We can get a little lost in it all.

We forget to simply “be.” To simply “love.”

We forget that some of the best moments in life, happen in the “wasted” seconds of life.

Let’s not be so quick to rush by them when they come our way. Let’s not get so restless when they present themselves. For they are treasures. To us, and to those who share them with us.