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I have been through some difficult trials in life. After losing my husband, with two young children to raise and long hours working in a stressful environment, one of the things I enjoyed was simply watching people.

The young couple in love, holding hands. Children irritating one another, as children do. The cashier smiling politely at customers while perhaps lost in her own thoughts. The elderly lady walking slowly, each step a little more difficult as she makes her way towards the bus stop.

Happiness, sadness, energy, tiredness. So many different emotions and stories unfolding around us every day.

Yet, while I was noticing other people, I hadn’t realised that the pace at which I was living my own life needed to slow down.

Learning to see differently

As I began paying more attention to the world around me, I discovered an interest in photography. I attended a photography course, and the practical lessons opened my eyes to so much more than I had ever noticed before.

I began seeing the world through a different lens. The colours in the sky as the sun sets, the beauty of autumn leaves, the delicate details of a flower, or a bird enjoying a puddle of water.

These things had always been there. I had simply been too busy to notice them.

It made me wonder: how often do we move through life with our eyes open, yet fail to see the beauty around us?

We are blessed with the gift of sight, but how easily we take it for granted. A friend from church recently shared that her husband is losing his sight, and that his future may be one without the ability to see the world as he does today. It made me reflect on just how precious this gift is.

Luke 10:23 reminds us:

“Blessed are the eyes that see the things which ye see.”

Perhaps these words are also an invitation to appreciate what we have while we have it.

What are we missing along the way?

As we grow older, perhaps we begin to notice things we once overlooked. We become more aware of how quickly time passes and how many moments we allowed to slip by while we were busy taking care of life’s responsibilities.

I often think about my own journey.

After losing my husband, my priority was to support my two children and provide for them. I worked long hours in a stressful environment, focused on doing what I believed I needed to do for their future.

But at what cost?

In concentrating so much on providing for them, I sometimes missed the little moments of their growing up. The excitement of their achievements on the sports field, their stories about what had happened during the day, and those everyday conversations that may have seemed ordinary at the time.

I was working hard because I loved them. I wanted to give them security and opportunities. But looking back, I realise that while I was busy providing for their lives, life itself was happening right in front of me.

And those moments cannot be brought back.

I don’t share this with regret alone, but with the understanding that life teaches us things we may not fully appreciate until later.

Sometimes, our eyes are focused on providing for the people we love, while we forget to truly see the time we have with them.

Perhaps this is something we need to remind ourselves of, not just as we get older, but throughout our lives.

Our loved ones deserve more than our efforts to provide for them. They deserve our presence, our attention, and our time.

Seeing beyond what is in front of us

We live in a world where there never seems to be enough time. We rush from one responsibility to the next, make endless lists, and tell ourselves that we will slow down when things become less busy.

But there will always be something else to do.

Meanwhile, the years pass. Our children grow up, our parents grow older, friendships change, and opportunities to spend time together can quietly disappear.

We see so much sadness in the news — wars, conflict, poverty, and natural disasters. Yet, sometimes, we fail to notice the struggles of the people closest to us.

We sit together but look at our phones. We postpone visits and conversations. We assume there will always be another opportunity.

And when we do look at others, how quickly we can judge them by their clothes, their cars, or the homes they live in, without knowing the stories they carry.

Perhaps we need to learn to see with our hearts as well as our eyes.

Notice the elderly person struggling with their shopping. Acknowledge the person cleaning the streets. Smile at a stranger. Call a family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. Take the time to listen when someone wants to share their day.

These may seem like small gestures, but they remind people that they matter.

And don’t forget to notice the beauty of the world around you, either. The butterfly moving from flower to flower, the dragonflies dancing in the breeze, the changing colours of the trees, or the warmth of the morning sun on your face.

We don’t need to travel far or change our lives dramatically to find these moments. Sometimes, we simply need to look again.

It’s time to open our eyes

I have travelled the same roads by car, ridden my bicycle along familiar routes, and walked the same paths time and time again. Yet, when I began paying closer attention, I was amazed at how many things I had missed.

The world hadn’t necessarily changed. I had.

So, today, I invite you to pause for a moment.

Look at the people around you. Notice your family and friends. Celebrate the achievements of your children, listen to their stories, and make time for those everyday conversations. Don’t let the pressure of providing for tomorrow cause you to miss the precious moments happening today.

Look up from your phone. Notice the beauty of nature. Offer a helping hand where you can. And remember that behind every face is a story you may know nothing about.

We cannot stop time from passing, and we cannot go back to relive the moments we missed. But we can choose to be more present in the moments we have today.

Perhaps learning to see is not simply about opening our eyes, but about recognising what truly deserves our attention.

Our loved ones. Our fellow human beings. The beauty that surrounds us. The moments that make up our lives.

So, I leave you with this question:

Are you truly seeing what matters most in your life, or are you so busy looking ahead that you are missing what is right in front of you?

Sometimes, we just need to stop and look.