Really, she does. Give her 30 minutes in a store, and she will tell you how many kids the Walmart checkout lady has, or what nursing home the florist’s father is in, or that Sheila at the bank just moved here from Pennsylvania. Some are social butterflies; my mom is a social ninja.

I tease her a lot but deep down, I wish I was more like her in that way. She’s always interested in the lives of other people and as a result, she has lots of friends. Naturally, every week she has a new story to tell me.

This collection of stories (God Moments in an Ordinary Life) is like a scrapbook for me. Not only are you about to find out all the embarrassing things I did as a child, but I read the stories of familiar people with a whole new perspective. I learn from Miss Minnie that the secret to a long, happy life is in being yourself. I learn from B.J. at the grocery store to be thankful for small things. I learn from a six-year-old version of myself that other people are the best investment there is.

My mom told me recently that when she talks to people and learns about their lives, she feels enriched and gains a sense of purpose for herself. She feels useful and valuable when Kim at the dry cleaners stops to show pictures of her grandkids.

Whoever desires to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. When Jesus said that, I think He had my mom in mind. She lives for the God moments in life, the point where blessing others becomes a blessing for us. I hope the moments described in these pages inspire you to look for the God moments at your grocery store, bank, or any of the other seemingly ordinary places life takes you.

(And when my mom strikes up a conversation with you in line, tell her I said hi.)

It didn’t take long to confirm that I was right. Coming through the front door at a fast pace was a teenage shepherd dressed in a bed sheet with a towel on his head. It looked as if he was trying to escape, but the church was small and I’m sure the shepherds and wise men were entering from outside. I got a chuckle out of it and then it reminded me of my daughter Lauren’s first Christmas play.

Lauren was two years old when she first appeared on stage at the Shady Grove Free Will Baptist Church Christmas pageant. She was chosen to open the event since she couldn’t quite memorize a part.  She was supposed to walk out on stage as the homemade curtain was pulled open and say her lines. We rehearsed over and over and over, “Hi, you are welcome to our Christmas play!”  She knew the lines perfectly. I would say several times a day, “Lauren, say your lines.”  She would immediately reply with so much fervor, “HI, YOU ARE WECOME TO OWR CHWISMAS PWAY.” Rs and Ls were still a problem. It was sooooo cute!

On the night of the play, she had on her Christmas outfit, a little white ruffled blouse, plaid skirt, red knee socks, black patent Mary Janes.  Again, too cute. She was positioned behind the homemade curtain and I was behind the organ, you know, just in case. As the curtains parted and the light hit her, she froze. I kept prompting her. but as she realized there were lots of people watching her, she started backing up, shaking her head, saying “uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh!” She ran to me behind the organ. She received laughter and applause, I think, for just being cute! The play went on as planned, albeit without a proper welcome.

Whether you find the shepherds running out the door, the baby playing Jesus having a meltdown in the manger, a real animal in the play leaving a present of its own, or the cute little girl welcoming you to the program backing up in fright, I hope you will enjoy the season and make some wonderful memories of your own.  Oh, be sure to go to the Christmas pageant!  It will definitely make your Christmas merry.

It’s been a busy few months for our family. September always brings Gatlinburg Gathering and the National Quartet Convention. We performed three times on the NQC stage and showcased our new “Love Won” project. Speaking of the new album, the first single, “Broken World,” is currently number 7 on the Singing News chart! We’re watching it climb….stay tuned.

My husband, Brian, has just begun full-time college classes, so that is keeping him at home quite a bit more these days. He is pursuing a degree in computer information technology. I’m so proud of him…not only can he sing, play 8 musical instruments, and write great songs (3 on the new record), but he’s got brains too….some people get all the talent!

Please pray for my grandfather, R.C. Talley, who has suffered multiple strokes in the last few months and is now in rehab. He’s 84 years old and his health has declined rapidly this year. Some difficult decisions ahead with regard to his care….keep him and us in your prayers.

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Time is a strange thing to me. It’s as illusive as tomorrow and as intangible as yesterday. It can’t be banked or borrowed.  We use the phrase “time stood still” to describe some moment in our lives. A measure of time that was so important that we would like to freeze it so our minds can absorb it. However, time never stands still.  There is a line in an old song that says” if I could save time in a bottle“…. The writer then goes on to tell what he would do with the time he captured. Older folks always say that the older you get the faster time goes by.  I’m finding that to be more true each year.

We are the most aware of time when we are in a hurry or when we are reflecting on it.  It’s measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days ,weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millennia.

The past can determine our present and our present can determine our future. We can’t relive our past and nor can we project ourselves into the future.  So how do we make the most of our days?  We live in the present.  Oh, I know we do this without even thinking about it! Maybe that’s the issue.  We don’t think too much about the time that is today. Are you regretting the past? Fearing the future? The present is filled with moments.  We only have this moment to live out.  Do we put this moment on hold hoping for something better or do we savor this moment and the next and the next?

My friend was on a trip with her young son and was trying to get an eight year old to appreciate all the memories she was trying to make with him. I gathered he wasn’t too impressed with all the plans she had made, videos she had taken of him, and sunrises she had eagerly wanted to share with him.  He just wanted to enjoy the trip.  As she shared with me her frustration at his indifference, I told her maybe she should not be so consumed with making memories that she missed the moments!

Moments are fleeting, but they are precious, because that’s all we have. Not yesterday or tomorrow. Just now. It’s hard to fully appreciate every moment, they go by so fast. But, couldn’t we slow down enough to let at least some moments catch up with us?  I wonder what would happen.  Maybe we would actually be present in our own lives.  We could enjoy our “now”. Many of us work so hard at investing in our futures that our now is bankrupt.  Whatever your moments hold for you today, be grateful and give thanks for each one.  It’s all you have.