"Grab hold of the moments"

We've all heard this. I've no idea where it was first coined, but nonetheless it gives wisdom to our days.

But... what are the moments anyway?

A few of my own week's favourite moments:

• lunch and scrabble with my oldest daughter and son-in-law
• braiding my youngest daughters hair at Starbucks
• laughing with my middle daughter at the exact same spots of Big Bang Theory

(What are your week's favourite moments?)

The thing about moments is, they come but once. They present themselves and then pass, never to reappear in the same way twice. It is why we must grab hold of them.

It's why we must make room for them, and why we must always have our eyes and hearts open to take advantage of them and to run with them.

...and why our hearts must be at ease. When I am angry for instance, I have no room for 'moments'. I couldn't care less.

When I am tired and lonely, or sad and flat, I barely have the energy for moments.

And yet, the most important thing about moments, is that we simply show up. When we don't have the energy, when we don't have the passion, when we are simply flat, even just showing up does its own work.

Showing up honours moments and the people in them, even if we are not all there.

And this applies to all moments, the big, small and in-between moments.

I was privileged yesterday to hear Dan Wooley speak. The man who was trapped in the Haiti earthquake of 2010, who treated his wounds from an app on his I-Phone, shared how he took the moments to write messages to his wife, and this one, that he left for his sons,

"Don't just live - Change the world"

The thing about changing the world...  it's simply about the moments.

World changers simply grab hold of moments that are presented.

I've realized, that my trips to Africa in the months to come, all add up to a moment.

A micro-dot on the time-line of world history, it is simply a moment to run with.

We are a global community after all, and taking hold of these global stage moments needs to become our new normal. We must zoom our camera lens out, take on bigger perspectives and see moments for what they are. We've got to shake off the ooh's and ahh's and simply get on with it, whatever 'it' might be.

The thing is, whatever our own 'changing the world' might be, it is easier than ever before, it's just a matter of grabbing hold of the moments.

What moments are presenting themselves to you?

Because quite frankly, it is the same for all of us, in every area of our lives, and it's critical to remember that for specific blessings and times in history, be it the story of family, community, nation or world, moments...

...are all we have.