The Single Woman’s Dash of Sass: Don’t Blink

Quote of the Day:

“Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person might not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.”

~Bob Moorehead

The Single Woman Says:  

I spent the holiday yesterday with my family, and as I was watching the fireworks last night, surrounded by my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces, I was struck by a moment of sheer thankfulness…for the person that I am, for the life that I lead, for the family I was placed into by a heavenly hand. My niece Emma, who is about to be nine, was busy recording the fireworks display on her mom’s tablet to take to show my grandmother (Emma’s great-grandmother) since Nanny is bedridden and can no longer leave the house. “Since she can’t come see the fireworks, we’ll take the fireworks to her!” Emma reasoned, in all her sweetness and innocence of finding a way to make every glass half full. It was such a display of pure, unadulterated, unselfish KINDNESS…it brought tears to my eyes. And it made think of the Kenny Chesney song, “Don’t Blink,” which was played at my grandparents’ 60th anniversary party a few years back and is my last real memory of both of my grandparents standing together in excellent health. Today they lay side-by-side in hospital beds in their home, tended to daily by caregivers, my mom, and my aunts…and will never again stand face-to-face in an unguarded moment of affection like the one we captured on film at that anniversary party. Yes, don’t blink, friends…because the moment passes you by and you wake up ten years later with a few more gray hairs and a few less little people tugging at your shirt, wanting you to play.  

I know someday soon, probably not so far down the road, Emma won’t think it’s so cool to spend the 4th with her family, and will be more excited about snapping pictures with her friends than recording fireworks displays for her ailing great-grandmother. The final remnants of her sweet baby cheeks will disappear into the well-defined cheekbones of adolescence. Her corkscrew Shirley Temple curls will likely be smoothed by a flat iron. And nine years old will become thirteen which will become sixteen which will become 20. The innocent little requests to play will fade into requests to borrow her mom’s car. She won’t stay a little girl forever. So for now, for this moment, I’m going to cherish her and the rest of my family for who and what we are instead of always worrying about what we’re not.

My message today is quite simple, folks. Be kinder. Laugh more. Revel in what you have instead of resenting what you don’t. Look around you and realize that life is a beautiful thing and offers so many opportunities for happiness, and laughter, and love. Every breath you take is a gift from God, and offers another opportunity to make someone else breathe a little easier. And even the most dysfunctional family is precious…because it’s yours. Your tailor-made life travelers who will love you and comfort you and infuriate you and support you and hurt you and help you and catch you and believe in you. Greet every day with wide open arms instead of clenched fists. And pause each day to give thanks for the blessings that surround you.

And as Kenny Chesney says:

“Trust me friend: A hundred years goes faster than you think…

So don’t blink.”

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Something wonderful is on the horizon
Life doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
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Something wonderful is on the horizon
Turn Toward the Sun CoverLife doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only