The Happiest Moments of a Life
While browsing through blogs this week, something jumped out at me. One blog was written to help fellow bloggers with unique suggestions for entries. We all know that writers stumble with writing blocks from time to time, needing urgent inspiration. Thought provoking questions were meant to kindle writing ideas, such as how a hard experience taught you a valuable lesson. One question stood out to me…what is the happiest day of your life? Maybe a teacher long ago asked me to write an essay on that. How could an inexperienced teenager completely answer a question when I hadn’t lived long enough? Back then I wouldn’t have been able to muster enough words, for my happiest days or moments came later.
We always received beautiful cards for special occasions from Tom’s long time employer, Mrs. Geneen. They were special ordered and packaged in nice papered envelopes. What impressed me was not the expensive cards nor the amazing artwork upon them, but the hand written closing sentiment, Happy Days. Living life to the fullest is one’s happy days. We all yearn to go through the motions of everyday life, experiencing happy days.
How could one blissful day complete a life, since it’s packed with multiple joyful moments? As I ponder on this intense question, I simply can’t narrow down all of my happy memories to one specific day. It seems impossible to do this, considering that a completely happy life is a patchwork of moments. If you live successfully, then your life would host a slideshow of blessed moments, not necessarily a day.
Perhaps I could say the day I graduated from community college, which really meant much more to me than high school. As I walked on the stage and shook Senator Ayotte’s hand, it meant more that my husband, dad and stepmom, Corinne were watching from the crowd. Also the fact that I could teach my sons the lesson that it’s never too late for a dream.
Perhaps it would be the moment that I met my husband in his parent’s dining room. Our eyes locked and something clicked, even before our love was born. One paramount day that stands strong in my heart is our wedding day, which was special in every way. That was a beginning to my newly generated life.
As our sons’ birth milestones qualify as happiest days, each was unique and special in many ways! The birth of our first child was our son, Dylan James. He burst into this world after ten hours of labor, with a dark head of black hair and was perfect in every way! His birth brought all the immense happy and proud overwhelming feelings with an enormous love that moms and dads can describe. I never quite expected it to be as strong and deep, definitely life changing. Then when I thought there wasn’t a possible way to love the same, little Branden was born two weeks early, wanting to enter this world. Again, after 8 to 10 hours of labor, our youngest son was born and my heart filled with this overwhelming love once again. These prominent remembrances resonate strong feelings within me and I realize that they have shaped my life. These moments made my life what it is today and I am extremely hopeful that God will present other milestones in my life, such as the gift of grandchildren and other unknown joyful events.
Envisioning these powerful moments in time is similar to a movie reel. I believe when we pass away, this movie of happy times will replay itself. Moments of intense love, strength and family would come to life once again. All these give us a distinct purpose, to live the happy moments. I attended a celebration of life for a friend’s ( and former co-worker) husband who died a month ago. I had visited with him several times at his house, chatting about life and all his life experiences. You see, he wasn’t an ordinary guy but was an Australian sea captain and owned a charter boat. He took parties of tourists and various people to the Great Barrier Reef. At the service a stunning and organized slide show of his life’s happy moments brought those stories to life. A much younger good looking man proudly smiled at the audience of family and friends. I could almost hear the crashing waves of the sea, as beautiful panoramic scenes of the ocean and his boat flooded the screen. We watched pictures of him and my friend when they met, both so much in love. Photos of his three sons and how they grew over the years and then his grandsons held in his arms, growing toddlers and then school age. His black dog, Spud perched on his lap, who died years ago before him. All these happy moments must have shaped his life, a life lived to the fullest with adventures that led him to the states with his American wife.
As these memorable flicks of time passed on the screen, tears salted my cheeks. I could only hope to generate this much love and memories in my own life. A melange of all the memories encompasses one happy life and that’s something to strive for. Maybe upon reflection through the years, the happiest moments remain in the heart and soul and could never be replaced or forgotten. With these words, my advice is to live and acknowledge these joyous moments, living every moment with a purpose, for they are what builds a meaningful life.