What Matters...

"life is not measured by the breath we take, but the moments that take our breath away"

when i first heard this quote i immediately fell in love with it. it's so true, it's so real, it's so tangible and relatable. when we allow ourselves to fall back into the daze of memory, it is those moments in life that we have to we say to ourselves, "oh right, this is what it's all about...this is what matters", that become the memories that build our lives. these memories shape us and become a part of us. they take our breath away. good or bad...

tonight my breath was taken away. i recieved a voicemail from my dad telling me he had gotten into a horrific car accident. immediately i broke down, tears flooding from my face i dialed his cell number. hearing his voice on the other line just caused more tears and less breathing. horrific does not even begin to describe what happened. and the fact that he walked away without a scar, without a bruise, the cooler he brought his dinner in for the week intact...a miracle and nothing less. breathe continues.

his car was hit on the driver's side by a large RV barrelling down I-95N. he was hit and carried with the RV for several feet until he slammed into the gardrail, spun several times and ended up 20 feet down into an embankment. horrific indeed.

but alive. and safe. and breathing. and here i sit, miles and miles away in new york city, realizing for this moment that certain things happen in life to smack you across the face so you can't breathe for a moment...they happen to make you realize what matters and why life is so precious.

i get so caught up in the rush of life that i forget to slow down and remind those that matter to me the most...well, that they matter to me the most. i'm sorry to my family and friends who don't know how much they mean to me. i feel pulled in so many directions and feel the need to do it all that i run myself down and don't do much of anything. i don't want to run so fast i lose my breath...and forget to take notice of the moments that actually take my breath away...