{The Moments You'll Remember}

I often find myself in moments of just contentment or of awe for the things around me.  I can't help but stop at the beauty of the snow all around me.

The above is a photo that I took on a whim.  I just decided one snowy day to just put my boots on and explore campus instead of staying inside- so glad I made that decision, I got so many fantastic photos and also learned a lot of things that I didn't know before when it came to editing it.  (Sometimes, secretly I wish I would have learned to shoot film photography)

I love the morning! I'm not a morning person, but I find that when I do get up early in the morning and just have a few peaceful minutes to myself, while the sun is filtering through my blinds, then I have a much better day.

And lately, it never ceases to amaze me the love I have for the Savior and for what He's given me.  It's strange, but I have found myself many times this last week just feeling his love around me and knowing that He is there and He does love me.  Many times I have found myself in tears because His sacrifice for me means so much!

I think in life we do so many things that are unimportant and end up wasting our time on pointless things.  Do we really find ourselves though remembering what we read on Facebook years later, or make a memory by watching HOURS of Netflix, etc. etc. And yes I'm guilty also of spending hours on Facebook, Pinterest, Netflix and doing other pointless things as well.  I just think we forget sometimes that our time here is limited.  When I think back on my life, I think of the times when I participated in life and feelings that I had.  I remember the times when I served others, when I participated in activities instead of watching from a distance, or of when I made a memory.

Moments like the ones listed above are what I'm talking about.  I may not remember what I thought about on those mornings that I woke up so early.  But I know that I will remember the peace that filled the room as I thought about the many things in life.  I may never remember what I said to someone, but I will remember how it made me feel.  I will remember those times when I acted on promptings - especially if I didn't want to act on them, but still did.  I will remember seeing the positive consequences, and how it made me feel. I will remember the moments that I was excited and proud of people- including myself.  It is these things that I will remember as time goes on.  Someday, I want to be able to look back on life and say, "yeah, I definitely did some really awesome things."  I don't want there to be any question about whether or not I truly LIVED.

Today, I found myself just taking a few minutes to appreciate the things that were around me and for the blessings that I have.  For the memories that I have.  I need to take more time to create more memories, rather than just waste time.