There are moments in our lives that happen but once. They are often filled with emotion, sometimes good and sometimes not so good. I want to speak to those moments filled with the good emotions.

I recently got to officiate my own daughter’s wedding. And yes, it was filled with emotion. There were many moments that day. There was the walk down the aisle. The moment I had to switch from father of the bride to officiant. The exchange of the vows, first dance, father daughter dance. The day was literally filled from beginning to end with these moments, but the one that nearly escaped me was the most beautiful moment of the day.

I had become overly busy with helping to keep the wedding on schedule. This I believed was my duty as the officiant. There were lots of questions coming my way about when to start, where to stand, how to present a particular reading, and the like. Suddenly, the groom was beckoning me. As I approached he told me that Kathryn, my daughter and bride to be, needed me. My thought, soon to be one I would regret, was what might possibly be wrong. I was totally unprepared mentally for what followed. As I rounded the corner, she was standing there in the middle of the side lawn away from everyone else. The sun shone behind her and created this halo effect as she stood there, stunning in her wedding gown. I had to collect myself as I realized what I was witnessing. She told me softly that she wanted me to be the first to see her. As we embraced, I knew in that moment that I was the luckiest dad in the world. My little girl was all grown up, about to be married, and still wanted me to be the first in her life at that moment. I was so busy with the process of the day that I nearly missed the meaning of the day. I almost missed the moment, one I could never have had again.

How many moments have you missed in your life? If the answer is none, you are a better person than I. If you can’t say you’ve never missed a moment, pledge to never miss another. Promise yourself to always be in the moment, to savor the emotions that come with it, and to hang onto the memory that moment creates. You don’t get but one chance to go through life. Don’t miss the moments it’s made up of.