It’s easy to remember the big stuff—the milestones, the celebrations, the moments we’ve worked so hard for. These are the things we often hold onto, the moments we think define us. But after everything I’ve gone through, I’ve learned that the real treasures of life are not in the big events, but in the small, seemingly ordinary moments we so often overlook. In the actions that don’t even seem important at all, yet are the ones that second by second are making us into exactly who we are suppose to become.

I so vividly remember learning this as I was waiting for answers on my diagnosis. I was applying for jobs- not knowing if I would even be able to work them. I was sitting in class, listening to due dates on assignments that I wasn’t even sure I would be well enough to finish. Driving down the street and sitting next to someone at a stop light, wondering if they too had just gotten the biggest news of their life. I was envious of people who only had to worry about the things I used to worry about- making it to school on time, finishing a project, stress of work. It all just seemed so insignificant when your life is literally at stake… Ordinary things became extraordinary… I was grateful to have these silly worries because it meant I was lucky to be well enough to living life.

Motherhood has also taught me this in the most profound way. The days are long, filled with the rhythm of day to day—making breakfast, cleaning up spills, begging toddlers to eat their food, or cleaning up toys scattered across the floor. These moments, at times, can feel like a never-ending cycle, demanding our attention and energy. It’s easy to wish them away, to wait for the next “big” moment. But the truth is, these moments—the small, quiet, often chaotic moments—are where life happens. They are the heartbeat of our days, the moments that make up the meaning of our lives.

Please don’t let me forget the little things. Times where my kids are just being themselves, where we are just being a family. Please don’t let me forget their tiny features, their tiny discoveries, and us learning together everyday. Please don’t let me forget the normalcy because it is in these ordinary moments that I tear up because they are so not normal at all…

As a mother, I’ve come to realize that in the rush of trying to get through the day, I sometimes forget just how precious these times are. The laughter of my children, the quiet moments of connection at the dinner table, the way their tiny hands reach out to hold mine—it all seems so ordinary, doesn’t it? But these ordinary things are what I treasure the most now. I’ve learned that these moments could be gone in an instant, and that’s what makes them extraordinary.

It’s easy to take it all for granted when it feels like a routine, when life’s demands pull us in a million directions. But after facing my own battles—my personal struggles and the challenges that come with motherhood—I’ve learned just how fleeting time is. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Tomorrow is never promised. And that’s why we must hold on to these small moments. The ordinary, everyday things—whether it’s a quiet afternoon spent with loved ones or the simply feeling toddler fingers wrapped around yours—these are the big things. They matter more than we realize.

We can’t afford to take them for granted. Life has a way of changing in an instant. When we realize how fragile it is, how quickly things can shift, we begin to understand just how important the ordinary moments are. It’s in those small, seemingly insignificant moments that we find the meaning of life. They are the ones that stay with us, even after the chaos of the day has passed. They are the moments we’ll remember when we look back. They are the big things in the smallness of our lives.

So, my advice is this: take a moment each day to truly appreciate the ordinary. Stop waiting for the next big thing to happen, the next milestone to define you. Recognize the beauty in the small, everyday moments, recognize the beauty in even what seems ugly, because those moments really are everything. Life is happening right now, in the middle of the mess and the noise and the quiet, simple joys. Don’t let those moments slip away unnoticed, because one day you’ll look back and realize how precious they were.

Life doesn’t always give us a second chance to appreciate what we have. In the blink of an eye, things can change. But if we can truly see the value in the ordinary moments, we’ll understand that they were the most extraordinary after all.

With Heart,

Riley Benado