Blog by: Lata Advani Viseu

“Well, I love a rainy night
I love to hear the thunder
Watch the lightnin’ when it lights up the skies…”
I Love a Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt

Everything changes. Nothing stays the same forever. But the memories remain.

When even those memories begin to fade, the moments we capture, on phones, in photos, in videos help us relive the beauty of time spent with loved ones…or those rare, special times spent alone.

I love a rainy night.
I love the sound of thunder and watching lightning light up the skies.
I love sitting on the beach, listening to the waves and watching the sun set.
I love the sound of children laughing and playing in the park.

I love watching old videos of camping trips when our kids were little.
I love the memories of road trips across borders, along coasts, east and west.
I love Halloween nights with my daughter, trick-or-treating in tiny costumes.
I love the laughter, the dancing, the costumes at Halloween parties.

I love the weekends spent dancing the night away.
I love the sound of friends playing guitar or cajón at get-togethers.
I love traveling with family and friends to places far and wide.
I love summer days exploring small towns, hiking trails, and stopping for craft beers and wings.

I love cottage weekends under star-filled skies.
I love friends dropping by with food, or cooking together in my kitchen.
I love that our children, now adults, still want to spend time with us.
I love milestone celebrations: birthdays, weddings, and everything in between.

I love meeting up with colleagues who became friends whether in Toronto, London, or Amsterdam.
I love reconnecting with childhood friends after 46 years and feeling that same bond.
I love when neighbours from my childhood visit me in Toronto, or when I meet them again in Shillong.

I love the spontaneous drives to my cousin’s place in Virginia and McLean.
I love when I’m in flow…when the words for my blog pour out and I’m done in a jiffy.
I love when young people reach out, and I can share what I’ve learned so they don’t have to go through the same pain I did.

I love my morning walks to the subway station on workdays, quiet moments that ease me into the day.
I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks as I walk.
I love how certain songs become time machines, instantly transporting me to the people and moments we once shared.
I love when friends become family, chosen bonds that grow deeper with time.

I love that I’ve come to a point in life where I feel happy and content where I truly feel I have everything I need.

Nostalgia is a beautiful thing…and realizing that the only moment we truly have is now, makes it even more precious.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

 “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama