I planted a new miniature rose bush in front of my house a couple days ago and this morning I had a gorgeous, sweet, coral rose--perfect in its smallness. I was thinking about it today, staying on the lines of small moments being just as important as large ones, and I realized a few things:

I went to Disney Land as a young child, I have vague memories of it, but I have a brilliant colored memory of sitting in a laundry basket of clothes with my grandfather smiling down at me from the same trip. He died when I was very young. The Peter Pan ride, Mickey Mouse marching down the avenue, Cinderella and her sewing mouses, none of those stayed--just my grandfather smiling.

I used to go on vacation with my aunt alot, to cottages, camping, etc. One moment always sticks out when I think of it, driving in her bus turned camper, listening and singing to an 8 track tape of the Chipmunks.

We camped up and down the coast of Florida as a young child for 6 weeks, part of it during hurricane weather...I only remember all of us tumbling out of the tent screaming and laughing--a small mouse had gotten in and was running around and around.

I remember dancing around in the rain in the middle of the flooded streets of our apartment complex...

I remember standing on a chair in my bedroom with my best friend in gradeschool singing "The do run run run, the do run run" into a hair brush...

I remember my grandpa sticking his false teeth through the branches of a bush and scaring us on halloween...

I remember solomnly walking down the steps of my grandma's house taking communion of squashed bread and juice from my young aunt...

I remember looking at my dad's disgusting toenails (had some kind of fungal problem) while lying on the floor listening to "The Hobbit"...

I remember filling my cousin, Jennifer's, pretty play house full of stinkweed with my cousins (her brothers)...

I remember reading "Peter and the Wolf" to my brother Craig so many times that I had it memorized...

I remember sleeping with my sister Joanna in her crib...I was 17...

I remember my mom pushing all the furniture to the walls in our apartment while we roller skated through on the hard wood floors...

So many many memories...but funnily enough...they're small ones...out of so many memories, so many larger, more grand memories...what makes them stick out?

"I was married for 22 months, and it was enough to fill a lifetime"...says Aida's father in the movie Cold Mountain. Little moments, the shape of a neck, one kiss, a half smile, words not said, all become a bag full of diamonds for Inman, diamonds that help combat the horrors of war. I have wasted so many moments in my life. I too have a treasure full of moments, some are large moments, some are small moments, but their size is no relation to their value. I learned a very valuable lesson at 18 years old, and it was a lesson that was reinforced at 21--every moment counts...live one day at a time...there is no yesterday, there is no tomorrow, there is only today. But I forget it sometimes, I've forgotten it for a good long time. Today's society is so fast paced, so rush rush, busy busy, move move...moments are spent like pennies in a penny candy store. We spend spend spend and rationalize that we are spending the small moments for the big pay off; we'll rush through this year and work work work so we can take a week and go to Cancun and that "big" moment will be worth all the small moments lost. Can a moment be enough for a lifetime. If yes, why do we waste them?