Twenty seconds doesn’t seem like a long time to have your life changed, and we probably neglect to see what other miracles can happen in a matter of seconds in our lives.

Rarely does a matter of seconds have such a monumental impact on our lives that it changes us to the point that we have to adjust our definition of normal. While labor may take hours for the pains of labor and delivery to welcome a child into the world, it only takes a few seconds to hold that infant and fall in love. On the other end of the timeline of our lives, the final breaths we witness our loved ones take also change us forever.

Over the weekend, my thoughts were still turned to the anniversary of Sept. 11. In a matter of less than 20 seconds the lives of the people in the burning towers of the New York City skyline were changed forever. And so were their loved ones. And so were all of ours. In a matter of less than 20 seconds the Twin Towers were forever erased from the skyline. While the buildings burned for a period of time, it only took a few seconds from the time they began to crumble to when they collapsed onto themselves. When they disappeared, so did the hope of all who watched and prayed for a miracle.

When the family members of the victims of Sept. 11 left their loved ones that day they didn’t know that would be their final good-bye. After that day, many people changed their own salutations and actions to reflect a deeper, more sincere perspective. The same could be said for anyone who has lost a loved one to a tragedy, disaster, cancer or other means of separation. Instead of focusing on what can be lost in a matter of seconds I choose to focus on those miracles—both small and large— that can happen in a matter of seconds.

Here are a few wonderful things that can happen in less than 20 seconds of a day.

·         Hug and kiss every member of your immediate family.

·         Smile and wave good-bye to your children as they leave for school.

·         Look up from what you’re doing in the kitchen or on the computer to make eye contact with the person who is talking to you.

·         Hold a door open for a stranger to make their day easier.

·         Say a prayer for a friend or family member in need.

·         Say good morning to the strangers you pass on your daily walk.

·         Turn off the TV or close Facebook and choose to do something to serve someone else.

·         Send a short email to someone to let them them know you’re thinking of them.

·         Text message your loved one to wish them well.

·         Take a deep breath and count to ten—twice – before you react to a tough situation.

Question: What would you add to the list?