Beautiful Moments

John and I went to a wedding a few years ago and at each place setting there was a story with a little stone.  I immediately knew this was a story I thought was so sweet and would be something I would incorporate in to my wedding someday.  When I got engaged I had my friend email me the story she used and made my own modifications to it to make it our own.  It brings a smile to my face every time I read it and reminds me of happy times and to cherish beautiful moments in my life. 

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Once upon a time there was a woman in a small village who never forgot her moments of happiness.  She left the house each day with a handful of glass stones.

She wanted to remember each of the beautiful moments in her day and be able to count them.  She took one glass stone from the left-hand pocket and placed it in her right-hand pocket each time she experienced something memorable and lovely during the day.

For each thing that gave her pleasure, the sparkling eyes of a child, a lovely flower in a field, a festive wedding party, cheerful singing.. another stone was placed into the right-hand pocket. Sometimes two, three, or more glass stones slipped from one pocket to the other throughout the day.

When she returned home in the evening she counted the glass stones in her pocket. The things that the stones represented came back to her clearly and she was able to savor each once more. For each moment she thanked God for his goodness and for putting happiness in her path in unexpected and special ways. And on the days when there was only one stone in that pocket, she counted herself blessed to have that even one special, beautiful moment.