This Moment In Time

By Colette N Persley Donovan

Our life is a series of moments spent on this earth. We can just live them as they progress, or we can take charge, making every single precious moment count! Pick up this book, and find ways to alleviate stress, find joy in every circumstance, maintain a positive outlook, and minimize pain and worry. There is another way to feel good about your life. You have the power within. You will learn how to use this gift. This gift, coupled with God's love, creates an extraordinary strength to reach your fullest potential. Be inspired by your own unique moments that you'll learn to capture, and let his word comfort and reassure you. Every chapter contains scripture to comfort and reassure you. If you haven't already, learn how to open a relationship with God. He really does have all the answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781681971568

Book preview

300116-ebook.jpg

Colette N. Persley Donovan

Moment

Time

This

in

ISBN 978-1-68197-155-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68197-156-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2016 by Colette N. Persley Donovan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

All scripture in this book is quoted from the New International Version and King James Version of the Bible.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

To my family

Acknowledgment

I felt so much love and encouragement in the writing of this book. I would like to thank my daughter, Jenny, for listening with an attentive and appreciative ear to my first attempts at writing children’s stories when she was still very young.

I would also like to thank my husband, Tom, for being supportive in everything I set my mind to.

I especially want to thank my daughter, Nicole, for being my objective voice, for stepping back from a daughter’s perspective and reading my first draft with a critical editor’s eye, and for giving me reassurance when I needed it.

And to my mom, for putting up with me all those formative years.

To you, with all my love.

1

Making a Mental Picture

Photographs seem to be the ultimate means of capturing a precious moment in time. How often have we wished we’d had a camera with us at that certain special instant? Chances are we have our cell phone, and we can snap, stop time in motion. But how many beautiful moments have we lost? Forever gone because we’re too busy to pause and just enjoy the moment; to imprint the memory and experience it with our whole being?

The still-shot isn’t the whole picture. What about the movement, the sounds, the feeling?

Try capturing the moment by pausing long enough to make a mental memory, one to reflect on. Because day after day, as time moves on, we’re missing opportunities to enjoy the preciousness of what God has given us. We fail to embrace the moments before they slip away. Our lives become routine, and one day, we ask ourselves, Where did the time go? How did it all pass by so quickly?

Let’s take a journey. Let me help you refocus. Let me help you commit more moments of beauty and peacefulness into your mind so that you can recall them later when you’re stressed at work, stuck in traffic, or just need a moment of refreshment.

Reflect on a cherished memory. Maybe it’s a day with the family or a walk along the beach just as the sun was setting. Possibly, if you’re lucky, you can envision that glorious, face-changing smile of a loved one; the sparkle that appears in her eyes just as you make her laugh; the tilt of her head; and the soft brush of her breath on your face.

How did making her laugh feel? Tremendously good, I would imagine. It made you smile. It made you tingle. It made you joyful and a little emotional for you find her laugh so endearing.

We might see a beautiful sunset and admire it, but do we commit it to memory for enough time to marvel at its wonder, to watch as it changes, growing bolder and the colors brighter before disappearing beyond the horizon? How does it compare to ones we’ve seen before? Try reflecting on the colors. Each sunset is a masterpiece, uniquely different. Sometimes the colors are so indescribable! Magenta mixed with violet, blazing orange touched with yellow. Each sunset, each masterpiece is signaling us to the realization that another day has reached its end. When we think of it this way, we are able to appreciate the moment more. The day has passed, and soon, the moon will shine, and the stars will fill the sky.

Try experiencing the next sunset you see with your whole being. Nurture the emotion. Listen to the sounds you hear. It could be the call of a mockingbird or the song of a finch. It could be the cackle of a crow or the chatter of a squirrel. Maybe the breeze is gently blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves. It could be the sound of children laughing and playing. It might be some distant airplane passing by. What you hear and what you’re feeling is vital to the whole experience. Close your eyes and focus. Let God touch you now. Let this feeling touch a place in your heart and mind that forever imprints it to your memory.

Sometimes, deep breathing slows your busy mind enough to take in the beauty. The sunset is glorious. Take one deep cleansing breath. Breathe in. Count to three. Breathe out. Open your eyes. Fantastic! Now pause. Contemplate each nuance of the colors in the sky. Close your eyes again, only this time, bring up the image you just saw. Experience it again in its full glory. Take that cleansing breath. We are on our way to stopping for the moment—this moment in time.

Maybe you’re young enough to be breastfeeding a newborn baby. It’s quiet. It’s 2:00 a.m. You’re exhausted. But this is one of those moments in time you don’t want to lose. Take a mental snapshot of the perfect life in your arms, the sound of the suckling, the baby at your breast, the warmth of the body so close to yours, the slow rocking motion of the chair. Close your eyes and bring up the image. Make it strong, slow. Let it imprint. It’s an image you’ll never lose. One day, you’ll return to this moment that no camera or cell phone captured. This is one very special, very personal moment in time, and it’s all yours.

Maybe it has been a long day on the job, and you were physically and mentally challenged. All you wanted to do was come home, put your feet up, and maybe have an ice-cold beer. But you were greeted at the door by excited, happy, squealing children calling with delight, Daddy’s home! They grab you by the pant legs, pulling and tugging, one begging you to pick her up for a big hug and one jumping up and down, wanting you to pick him up and play airplane again. They are thinking that their Daddy time has just begun! And just beyond them, there’s your wife with a crooked grin and eyes sparkling with love. Don’t you want to pause and remember this moment forever? It only takes a few seconds to capture this moment in time. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and photograph this memory in the deep recesses of your mind. Make it last forever. Children are a wonderful memory-making keepsake.

So remember, whether you have children or not, special moments can become lost in that busyness called life. We want to capture these times for reflection.

First and foremost, we must let God in. He is the master of all human peacefulness. If we devote time in our daily lives to let in the One and Only, memory-making and memory-keeping are as easy as breathing.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the daily drama I forget to relax for a moment and recoup. That’s when I need to touch on my faith. We should always remember to let God in. Ask Him for strength or calmness or whatever it is that you need at that moment. Ask Him to be there with you. Ask