Little does this beautiful child who doesn’t belong to me know how much her powerful words meant to me and the truly small miracle they brought to “my moment” when I received them earlier this afternoon.

Look, I may not be perfect, and I’m SO not a perfect mom – BUT – every single one of the kids who have ever graced my doorstep have done so knowing that they were seen, heard, loved, and valued for exactly WHO they are and WHERE they are without fear of judgment, disrespect, or disdain.

So many teenagers have their heads up their own clouds, and Saturdays are typically their days to just kick back, relax, check out, and think of nothing but themselves and their own moments. The mere fact that a 15-year-old girl lingering elsewhere in this world who, PS, has a STELLAR momma of her own, was thinking of me and took the time to send this message says everything I already know, but never hate to be reminded about who I AM and how much I’m “seen, loved, heard and valued”.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and not only could I not agree more, but I’m HONORED to even BE in the village in the first place. I’m not quite sure exactly what I’ve done to deserve the abundant joy and blessings that enrich my life on a daily basis, but nope, I’m not complaining about it either.

If there really was a time machine that could take me back to some other place and time so I could start this whole story over again, would I really want to use it? NO! No I wouldn’t! I wouldn’t trade a single one of the moments I’ve gotten to have, be them good, bad, indifferent, or bittersweet for any other place and time in existence.

Even on my darkest of nights and amidst the mountains of losses I’ve suffered, at the end of each day all that really matters to me is the wonder in every “here and now” and that I don’t want to miss a single one of them. If you’ve been around this Diary long enough, you’ve heard about the chair in my room where I’ve done a lot of panicking, praying, crying, breathing, and thinking. This little message sent me straight to it this afternoon for “breathing in and breathing out” the miracle of a moment that some people may find insignificant. Nope, not me. As I sat down in my chair and held the phone up to my chest, I felt my own heartbeat as the silly tears I was shedding softened my heart even more than I thought it could be softened. I’m telling you people – I really AM God’s favorite daughter! No one will ever be able to convince me otherwise because of moments like these and the countless treasures He’s bestowed on me with every single one of them!

MIRACLE OF THE MOMENT

It’s time for letting go of all of our “if only’s”, ’cause we don’t have a time machine. And even if we did, would we really want to use it? Would we really want to go change everything? ‘Cause we are who and where and what we are for now, and this is the only moment we can do anything about. So, breathe it in and breathe it out and listen to your heartbeat. There’s a wonder in the here and now – it’s right there in front of you. I don’t want you to miss the miracle of the moment. There’s only One who knows what’s really out there waiting in all the moments yet to be. And all we need to know is He’s out there waiting – to Him the future’s history. And He has given us a treasure called right now. And this is the only moment we can do anything about. So, breathe it in and breathe it out and listen to your heartbeat. There’s a wonder in the here and now – it’s right there in front of you. I don’t want you to miss the miracle of the moment. And if it brings you tears, then taste them as they fall and let them soften your heart. And if it brings you laughter, then throw your head back and let it go, let it go, yeah. You gotta let it go. {Steven Curtis Chapman}