It's an arbitrary thing, of course, this measuring of moments we do. Long ago, time was kept by the phases of the moon, or the time between harvests. And perhaps, before that, not really thought of at all. In reality there is no division. Life simply goes on. But its a good thing to stop and remember and celebrate those blessed grains of sand, those holy moments we've experienced. Too often they flow by with hardly a moments notice, leaving us staring at the emptying vial and wondering where it all went.

And that's the key, I think, to why so many of us feel as though time is moving faster. Life has become so complex and complicated we miss the fullness of each moment rushing to work and deadlines and carpools and a million other priorities we've established in this modern world we live in. I wonder what it would be like if the world took a "Just BeingDay". 24 wonderful, glorious hours; 1200 miracle-filled grains of sand bursting with life for us to revel in. No phones (definitely no cell-phones!), no television, no newspapers, no radio. No appointments, no 'things-to-do' lists, no plans. There would be special angels to care for the children, and believe it or not, your care, presence, control and attention would not be needed at all and the world would still keep spinning very nicely, thank you (imagine that!)

Ok, well, that's probably not going to happen in the near future, but it can happen right this second. Yep! Right now. For a minute...one little minute...that is 60 miracle-filled grains of life...stop reading this and just be. Become totally aware of everything around you. Look at your child, or wife, or husband, or whomever is in the room with you and really experience the miracle of who they are. Better yet, go to the mirror and revel in the miracle that you are. Feel, really feel the intricate workings of your eyes and ears and nose. Spend the entire minute eating a strawberry, tasting each nuance of sweet and sour, the texture, the feel, the 'strawberryness' of it. I swear you'll never eat another strawberry the same way again! And that's the point. Being totally aware, for just one minute, you realize just how amazing and miraculous everything is. And maybe, the next time you look at your child, or in the mirror, or eat a strawberry, you'll be reminded to stop for maybe a minute or two more, and experience all the majesty of the moment. And as that moment stretches to more and more moments, maybe we can all slow down the imaginary hands of time to a pace we can live happily with.

Ok. Enough reading. This is your minute to revel in wonder. I'll be here when you get back...oh and feel free to stretch that to as long as you like. But one minute is absolute minimum. Ok, off with you now........................................

Ah, welcome back. Well, unless you are one of the wise and wonderful beings that live their lives in total awareness every moment, that may just have been the most awesome minute of your life. If you're like me and try, at least, to stop and really live in the moment from time to time, perhaps this will remind you, as it did me, to try and do it a lot more from now on.

So, dear friend, as we come to the last pages of this particular calendar, my wish for you is not only a Happy New Year, but a joyous parade of moments filled with the awareness of the miraculous in your life.