Happy Monday, dearest Pinkies. Christmas week has arrived and the New Year is right around the corner, which has me reflecting, pondering, and dreaming. Because this year was filled with so much change for me, as it was for all of us, I’m also reflecting on all of the key moments in my life that really brought me to where I am today. And that leads me to wonder what moments you’re reflecting on, too.

To get us going with this Mojo Monday exercise, I want to introduce you to my friend, Josh, over at World’s Strongest Librarian. He wrote a post recently that is so stunning that I had to share it with you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. He talked about the defining moments of his life in terms of when they happened, how he felt about them, and what they meant to him. He calls it “Snapshots of When” meaning that when something happened to him, he realized a profound truth about his own life and the world around him. Josh is a tremendously gifted writer who inspires my own writing and my life, and I want to share that inspiration with you.

So this Mojo Monday, let’s put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, heart to mind, and consider what memories made us who we are today, right now, in this moment. Profound or silly, happy or sad, painful or joyful, what are the “when” moments that created and crafted beautiful, gorgeous you and what truth did they reveal?

Here are mine:

When I first saw my niece, I realized why it is so important to have children in our lives.

When my heart broke, I realized that it doesn’t take as long to heal and love again as I thought it would.

When he passed away, I didn’t feel as relieved as I thought I would – it was then that I started down the very long path to forgiveness.

When I crossed that finish line, realizing a dream years in the making, I was more grateful for the strength of my body than ever before. I finally understood the term “runner’s high” and I tingled from head to toe with life.

When I decided to keep loving through the hurt, I realized that on the other side of hurt there is more love.

When I graduated, I knew that I could do anything I set my mind to.

When I looked out at the wild surf of South Africa, I realized that I could travel very far from home and still feel that I belonged. That day, I became a passionate citizen of the world.

When I stood in front of a classroom for the first time, I had much more to offer than I ever expected.

When I chased a dream as far as I could and it still wasn’t enough to make it real, I was amazed at my resilience to just get a new dream.

When I said a final good-bye to my dear and faithful friend, Sebastian, I found that not everything or everyone is replaceable. Some parts of our lives and hearts can never be reclaimed, and that’s okay. The ones we truly love always take a piece of us with them, and for that I am grateful.

When I first put my writing out into the world for everyone to see, I found that there was a lot more support for my ideas that I ever knew and much of that support came from people I didn’t even know. This made me believe in the goodness of the world.

When the curtain came down and I heard the applause, I knew I had been part of something much greater than myself.

When I almost didn’t get a tomorrow, I understood how precious every moment is and that dreams can’t wait.

When I lost almost all of my belongings, I found that I didn’t really need any of them to survive and thrive and for the first time in my life I felt truly free. Scared, but free.

When I found the courage to tell my own story, I discovered that I had the ability to inspire the same courage in others.

Looking back in gratitude and forward in anticipation,

Christa

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