# Chapter 202

The crunch of snow. The moon shining bright. A foster child in my arms. Happy cooing sounds coming from him as we trudge along the path to his house. He is fascinated with the sound of my boots in the snow. He keeps trying to look down at every footstep. I know he likes it when his feet make clopping sounds on our hardwood floors, but this is a new sound. And we are surrounded by the glow of moonlight on snow and the big dark trees in our yard. It was a magical moment. A significant moment. A cherished moment. Your arms full of fat chubby baby and happiness.

This is life in this moment. This is your today. Seize these moments. Make these memories. It is all we have remaining to carry forward with us. And memories are so much more than a slide show of visual pictures of the past. Remember the crunch of the snow, the reflection of moonlight, the smell of the maples and sweet gum trees, the weight and warmth of the baby in your arms, the sweet smell of baby soap, the bite of the cold, the deep quiet of a cold winter night, and wiggling bundle of contentment in your arms.

Now pull up other memories, and use all your senses, and live them again and again.