One day, you'll realize you've already lived through some of the best days of your life, and you didn't even know it at the time.
You were too busy chasing what's next, busy worrying about what's missing, thinking happiness was something you'd arrive at one day, once everything finally made sense.
But while you were waiting, you were laughing with people who won't always be around. You were making memories in places you'll one day drive past and feel something you can't explain.
You were standing in moments that didn't feel like the good old days till they were gone. That's the thing no one tells you. You rarely recognize happiness when you're standing in it. It feels too ordinary, too small to matter, till it becomes a memory you'd give anything to experience again.
But right now, you're still in it. You still have the people, the moments, the chances, the ordinary days you'll one day call some of your favorite. So stop waiting for life to start. You're already living it.
I was 9 or 10 when I found this photo.
It was after my little brother went to sleep. I was browsing old photos in my living room while my Mom did Bible study in the kitchen.
I remember thinking it was odd that Santa was wearing safety goggles while holding me.
I then wondered why my house was the only one where Santa came inside on Christmas Eve. None of my friends had ever shared a story like that.
And then I looked close at the eyes.
My brain said “ENHANCE” like in a spy movie.
I looked even closer.
“ENHANCE”
I saw it so clearly.
Those were my Dad’s eyes. I knew it was him. I was sure of it.
I’d cracked the code. The thousand year old mystery that had plagued all children. For a millennia we’ve asked, “How does Santa make it all the way around the world in a night?”
I’d finally answered it.
I went and asked my Mom to confirm what I’d uncovered. She didn’t mislead me. She gave me a hug and told me what I now knew: that Santa was real and he lived with me year-round.
That night I learned Santa doesn’t vanish when you figure it out. He multiplies.
He lives in the love and sacrifice of all parents. In the lengths they go to make our dreams feel effortless. In the quiet work done late at night so joy can arrive on time.
Santa doesn’t “go away” when you discover the truth.
Your appreciation for him only grows.
It grows as you understand what it costs and as you recognize the tired eyes, the sore backs, the careful planning.
And if you’re lucky, one day you realize you’ve become him too.
He was real then.
He’s real now.
He just keeps showing up, and occasionally wearing safety goggles if that’s all he’s got when it’s time to drop off presents.
Merry Christmas to all the Santa Clauses out there.
"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.
Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.
One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.
Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.
Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"
"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."
He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."
The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."
Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.
But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,
"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."
So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.
Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."
Let this story reach more hearts....
Credit: Mary Nelson
Charlie Kirk's advice to a young professing Christian:
1. Read the Bible every day
2. Do what the Bible tells you to do
3. Tell people what the Bible says
God bless him. 🙏
Freddie is looking down and giving y'all a standing ovation. That's spectacular!😍💗
The most INSANE Bohemian Rhapsody Flashmob you will ever see!!
With 30 musicians and singers in the STREET of Paris 😍
Cre : Julien Cohen Pianist
There is a difference between "freedom of speech" and "having a heart." Some people are just heartless and have no common sense OR common courtesy.
It doesn't matter how much you dislike a government/government officials...these are human lives...and children. #PrayersforTexas
I haven't received a tax return for the past 3 years due to me working so much overtime, claiming my two boys, therefore not paying in enough several years ago? We are still paying off back taxes due to this! Thank God this is changing!
President Trump has cancelled tax payments on All Overtime from Monday. If you work overtime you won't be taxed on it
Meanwhile, the UK under Rachel from Accounts taxes the hardworking citizens out of existence, whilst giving benefits and hotels to overseas migrants
President Trump has cancelled tax payments on All Overtime from Monday. If you work overtime you won't be taxed on it
Meanwhile, the UK under Rachel from Accounts taxes the hardworking citizens out of existence, whilst giving benefits and hotels to overseas migrants