Single Special Moments-Treasure Hunts

Single Special Moments

Special moments in life come every single moment of the day, often we miss them. Life is busy, life is full, things happen and the rush of life passes us by.

I am in my fifties, almost half way to sixty. I feel the pressure of life just as well as the next person. Some days I look at my life and wonder how in the world I did it all when I was in my twenties, thirties and forties. A mom of six, grandma of 8, a wife of a wonderful husband, I lead a very hectic life. I work full time in a job that consumes too many hours of the day. I have poor health and cannot do the things I so wish I could do, but I try.

My children have always been my world and they are most precious to me. I believe God destined me to have the family I was meant to have. Yet I struggle, I juggle and I end up with much guilt every moment of each day. I worry over them and about them each. I wonder if I have given enough, spent enough time with this one or the other and it is a battle I wage constantly.

My biggest fear is that I will let a moment pass me by that might be my “last chance.” I fret over the fact that time is precious and I want to soak up every single precious moment God blesses me with. So when I can, as much as I can, I grab them. Those precious single special moments are mine to claim.

This past weekend was just that for me. For the past several years I have attended an annual yard sale in Columbus with my brother. My second oldest daughter, Suzanne and her two small boys were my companions again this year; this makes their third or maybe fourth time. This year as an extra special treat, my best friend Jackie joined us. For me, this trip down south is not so much about the bargains I will find, but the time I get to spend with my brother and those I love.

It is an adventure for sure. We arrive at my brother’s lovely home the night before to visit and prepare for the bargains the next day. We set out as early as we can with small kids in tow. We walk streets in heat, in rain and against a tidal wave of people in search of that something “special” they cannot live without year after year. We trudge with strollers, canes, swollen and tired feet. We search for treasures that we know will be fun to take home and place in that certain space just waiting for it.


I often come home with stuff I later look at and think; really? However later, when I pass them on a table or glance at them on a wall, or flip through the pages of a well worn book I just had to read, I find it is not the item that enhances my life. What enhances my life if the memory of the find, the hunt and the time, that single, special moment spent with the ones I love.

So this weekend for me was just that, trying to capture that single moment to remember, to hold on to tightly. In a couple of weeks, my daughter, my Suzanne will move across the country to Nevada and begin a new chapter in her life. Our annual hunt for treasures may end. I grabbed this moment knowing that our time is limited.

Although in other’s eyes, it may not have been a perfect weekend. We struggled with my painful legs that had me moving slowly, we struggled with two little ones who were not always patient with our hunt and with the heat. We stumbled along paths and through crowds that would turn others away, yet we trudged onward. I pushed myself, not willing to give up, not wanting the day to end. Reluctantly I gave up the chase.

The little guys had enough and so did Suzanne, Jackie and I were okay to finally call it quits, for we knew where the true value of the hunt lie. We rested a bit and waited for my parents who arrived a couple of hours later for dinner. As we sat around a long table at a “Fifties” diner, I surveyed those in attendance and missed those of us who for one reason or another could not join us.

Flashes went off as I snapped one photo after another trying to capture images for memory pages later. My dad’s health is failing so time is truly precious to me. I watch my mom’s smiling face and just wish to still this moment and chat awhile longer. I want to hold tightly to those I love so dearly and not let them go.

We chatted, dined, and with sorrow hugged each other as we parted. Another full evening of “deck” sitting at my brother Mike’s awaited. Back at his home, we showered to get the city dust off and gathered together out on his large deck where we shared my famous sausage balls. I sat back as the sun set, viewing the candle light and bonfire reflecting off sweet faces. I rocked little Parker sound to sleep as I listened to the chatter and laughter of my good friend Jackie. It was to those sounds that I drifted off to sleep in my chair. The day had been fulfilling, the company sweet. The hunt had not been a success in “things”, but in the people I adore.

Back at home, tired from the talking, walking, driving and whatnot, I loaded up photos to my computer of my weekend. I stopped at the one I am sharing here today and found myself choked up with emotion. My daughters blue eyes shine back to me and her grandpa’s smile lit up my heart. My daughter is soon off to the Wild West like a pioneer of old seeking her own treasures. My father who is aging and ill struggles to stay with us and keep active in his life.

I see the two loved ones faces and know as I always have, where real treasures lie. It is in my heart, full of love for family, for friends and for our lives. This past weekend’s memories will be stored in the treasure trunk of my mind, in scrapbooks and in my heart.


Teresa Gale

In the Still of the Night

In the Still of the Night




My body was raging as I rolled over at 3:30 am this morning, yet the bladder was playing Call of Duty and urged me to obey. Slowly I rise and stumble into the bathroom only to find our small dog has the same idea.

Oliver, is happy to see I am up and what he considers in his very hyper way, “at ‘em.” I groan in reply. Dusty our oldest cat begins to cry in his most irritating way and I can see there is no stumbling back into bed.

So here I am in the wee hours of the morning taking out both our dogs. I hate this part. Normally, I pretend to sleep while hubby does this chore, but I know he has been working pretty hard and being a good wife…. Well you get the picture.

My legs don’t work so well that early, my stiff joints scream as I tentatively walk down to the edge of the drive and allow our dogs for the millionth time to sniff every morsel of earth they can find.

Sighing I stretch and wait. Moving my body slowly and lifting my arms up over my head, my stretch feels good. I open my eyes and my reward is a most lovely sky full of diamonds. The stars above my head twinkle in the dark sky. It is then I become more awake and notice my surroundings.

The early morning hours are still, so quiet that I am amazed. Last night as our neighbor cut his grass for the second time in just a few days, then another edged their lawn, and another….well you get the picture. It was a most unquiet evening the night before. Yet here I am standing in the midst of my driveway listening to the sounds of nature.

A breeze lifts the new leaves and rustles them awake, a frog croaking his morning song lifts in the air and nothing else. Quiet, beauty and stillness surround me. God in all His Glory knew I needed this. I sigh a prayer of thanksgiving and enjoy the scents and sights around me.

How often have I missed this? How often do I rush head long into the day without pausing and enjoying God’s gifts? Too often I can tell you, way too often. We get in ruts, rituals as our family calls them. We rise, repeat, rinse and start all over again. Today I am thankful God saw fit to wake me early to nature’s call and enjoy this blessing.

Our lives right now are full of worries and change, yet God blesses me in the single moments, the small things as well as the large. I can tell you when I rise tomorrow, I may not want to get out of bed, but I may just take the dogs out again and let hubby sleep in. I need more moments like this in my life.



Teresa Gale

New Seasons

A New Season: Beginnings and Endings


The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.—Anonymous

There are new changes on the horizon of our family. The wind has shifted and one season exits and another is blowing in.

I am trying to wrap my heart and mind around these changes, but find the emotion of it all washing over me like a wave rolling on the shores. I know with a family our size that nothing can stay the same and we are bound to go through many shifts and transformation. You would think as a mother of six I would be used to this, but in this season of my life, I am having some mini-melt-downs at the very thought.

Once upon a time, this house we live in was full of chatter and activity. When one has four daughters and two sons, the house thunders with sound. The bathrooms were always full, floors always wet and towels always being washed. Empty cartons of food tumbled over full trash cans and Televisions in almost every room competed with the different taste of the viewers. Our kitchen table was used for family dinners, game playing, homework and the dreaded “family meetings.”

Our home was always full of several different age groups of children and their friends, cats, dogs, hamsters, fish and guinea pigs. I was used to the volume; I loved the chatter, not so much the mess. Our home was full of lots of love.

One by one each child grew and asserted their independence. One by one they each tentatively stepped a foot outside the boundaries of our safe home, venturing out and creating their own lives. It was never, ever easy for me to witness. Often I would succumb to tears as the thought of my child, the child that had grown in me and around me left our home. I would be overcome with a feeling of loss, worry and pride for each of them. I was never able to physically help them pack, but often would help in the setting up of their new homes.

I am reminded of that song of childhood; “One little, two little, three little Indians…..” One by one they flew from the nest and struck out on their own. I have been present at each graduation with teary eyes and a heart full of love. I have witnessed weddings and births.

The door to our home has always remained open and at one time or another, each one has returned for a season.  Several times the came to gather strength and comfort. Once they got steady on their feet each would take another deep breath and head back out into the jungle of our world.

Our oldest daughter did just that almost two years ago bringing her two children home to heal, rest and gather strength to head back out. It is never easy to move back home, I understand that. Personalities sometimes bat at each other, struggles, conflicts all happen as we go from mothering to stepping back and allowing our children to figure things out. She has recently set out with her children again on her own. We are happy for her and support her choice, yet we miss them. Our home has grown quieter. I pray daily that God will bless them and strengthen her family.

Our second oldest daughter has recently announced she has taken a new job on the West Coast, thousands of miles away. So at the end of this month, she, her husband and two small boys will set out on a new adventure. I am reminded of the pioneers, our ancestors who settled out west and panned for gold. She will be working for a mining company who does just that. She will face many hardships, but like the ancestors of days long past, she and her family will survive and learn new things. They will settle in and do well. I have faith in that, just as I have faith that God is in the works.

Our third daughter took on a new job this year, one that requires longer hours and much patience as she attends the ailing. We juggle time together to work around her schedule and God surely is using her talents to care of those who need compassion. I am so proud of her.

Our youngest daughter has faced many health problems, a new job and a new promotion. Our time together is precious; my worries over her swallow me up some days. Like all of my children, I am amazed at her strength, but fight this constant urge to pull her home, and mother her into good health. My heart aches that she has to suffer through her ailments and pray God would heal her.

Our oldest son is getting married this year. He already has a beautiful family and now will seal his commitment with his charming wife. We are so happy for them and I find myself emotion filled at the little boy I met 19 some years ago. I did not give birth to this son, but have loved him as my own. He is going through many new changes with a possible position change at work. My prayers are steady and sure for him

“Now there is one….”

The baby, our son, will graduate in just a few weeks. Where did the time go? I pause writing this as I read back to the start. Was it not just yesterday I watched our oldest receiving her diploma? Where has time gone?

I remember at her ceremony, sitting at the very top of the bleachers with my husband gazing down to the floor chairs as elderly people walked in to take seats. I recall the joke I made back then. “One day Hun, that will be us when Daniel graduates.”

Here we are we have come full circle. From our oldest child to our youngest graduating, where did time go?

Our youngest is head strong, knows what he wants and is so impatient to get there. My advices to him…”slow down….enjoy the ride.” One day he will look back just as I am this Mother’s Day morning and wonder; “Where did time go?”

In a flash, before we know it, it happens. Seasons come and seasons go; we move from one to another without pausing long enough to enjoy, cherishing the now of the moment. In the Spring of our lives, we are so impatient with getting to Summer. We never realize how quickly each season passes.

The buds of Spring, the start of life is so precious, so busy as we are filled with growing and watching the growth. We are overwhelmed with the beauty of this season and excited to see the blooms turn into the lovely flowers.

The summer is upon us and everything is in full bloom. We are so busy tending the blooms we often sit still in the garden of our life to enjoy the lovely fragrance. We are constantly looking ahead to the next chore, the next weeding time and worrying over the next season.

Autumn of life rushes at us and we are dazzled about the beauty before our eyes. So lovely is this season with the brilliant colors of growth that we become sad at the thoughts of the leaves falling from our sight. We are soon surrounded by the crunch of life beneath our feet and we sprint to catch them before they fall. We are overwhelmed with the emotion of this season. The buds have now opened and are shedding to begin life anew on their own.

Winter brings its own spectacular season and we become stuck here in isolation. We are mesmerized by the stark whiteness in this moment that blinds us. We stand alone, waiting for spring to begin. It is in the coldness of this season we start dreaming of days gone by, chances missed, and times of the past that fortify us for the future. We store up memories of the past and treasure them. We now realize the beauty of each and every season and only wish we could have enjoyed each moment.

As I face this season of change, the Autumn and Winter of my life, I realize how precious this gifts have been. Each child has brought me so much in their very different ways. Each child was a gift from God. I feel as if I missed some of the season because I was so busy preparing for the next.

If I could impart one gift to each of my children it would be to tell them to live in the moment. Treasure the past and all that brought them into this season, but stand still long enough to enjoy what you have. As I watch from close by as each of you step out into your own season, I say a prayer and tearfully but with pride, watch you grow. I love you.

Teresa Gale
May 13, 2012