“The truth is we’re sum of all the moments we’ve experienced with all the people we’ve ever known — and these moments become our history.”
~ The Vow~

Today was my first day back to “reality” after a week long beach vacation with my immediate family on Lake Michigan in Michigan City, IN. Can I just say the beach there was amazing?! It felt just like we were at the ocean, albeit the water was a bit colder and sans the salt…and sharks for that matter!

Twenty-seven people total split between one house and a guest house. It was fun, it was restful, it was chaotic, it was intense, it was a blur.

Moments. Moments in time that will exist in our memories forever. Moments never to be experienced in exactly the same way, with the same people, in the same manner, at the same moment in time. Fleeting moments.

From time to time I literally had to stop and command myself to soak it all in, to stop what I was doing and just watch and enjoy. I kept reminding myself I would never get the chance to relive those moments.

My favorite moment – the moment which overwhelmed me the most – was the moment when I arrived. I was the last one in my family to make it to the beach house after a seven and a half hour drive. I was exhausted and physically and mentally in need of a vacation. I parked my car out front and began to walk to the front door. I heard someone yell, “Jackie’s here!” Like bees to a hive, I was swarmed by most of my sweet nieces and nephews (there are 16 altogether) as they shouted, “Jackie!” “Jackie!” “Jackie!” I had one foot on the front step as they latched their little arms around me and gave me the biggest, most welcoming hug I could have ever hoped for.  If there is nothing else I remember from the whole trip, that is the moment I want to last a lifetime.

Our lives are a string of moments. Each passing second is one you will never get back.

Make the most of your moments with those you love most.