I have a huge dream…to move to California.  However, finding a job in this economy – especially in California – has been slow going.  Unfortunately, I’m still located in the Land of Lincoln.

Parts of the upper Midwest I will never miss – cold, snow and ice – but there are others I leave behind with great trauma.  Even on that future day driving my car towards my new life out west, I’ll be disappointed to leave behind so many wonderful things unique to the Midwest.

Topping the list is pizza – not just any pizza, but thick gooey Chicago-style pizza loaded with cheese, flavored with rich tomato sauce, oregano and nothing else.  You’re probably thinking, “What’s wrong with this gal?  She won’t miss her friends, her church, the vibrant city of Chicago?”  Oh, I’ll miss every one of those things, and more! But Chicago-style pizza will always hold a special place in my heart, or should I make that stomach? (Thank heavens for overnight delivery!)

The point isn’t what I’ll miss, but that I’m currently in the astonishing place to savor moments that matter. Preparing myself mentally for leaving means I now place special importance on things that often rush by in the busyness of life.  Like watching lightning bugs, enjoying the smell of freshly-mowed grass, the hushed silence of a winter’s snowfall.

These are the stirringly beautiful things I want to take away from my life here.  More importantly, I don’t want you to miss those things in your life.  The rich tapestry of events that cause you to realize what you might be taking for granted or missing entirely.

I want you to stop.  To feel, smell and acknowledge the gifts God puts out for you every day – How every single day, He makes the sun rise from its slumber to warm you, and in the dark of night to see and feel the magnitude of the heavens, the stars and the moon.

I want you to be fully awake to your blessings and not miss a moment.  Take them in and savor them in your senses as if you might lose them tomorrow.

Savor your life and your blessings.  And thank our God for the gift of it all.

That’s the best memory of the Midwest that I could take with me…to know that my life has taught you something about your own.

As an encouragement to others, please leave a comment about what you savored today that you might have missed!