Moments In Time
Moments in time. They run through my mind as I sit pondering the words to write this year. Just moments. Not big, earthshaking happenings. Just ordinary moments in our lives.
The morning I wake to someone tapping at my bedroom window, and looking out to find all the birch trees in our front yard covered in pink and blue ribbons; the loving handiwork of our close neighbors, in celebration of the recent news that after six years of trying we are going to have a baby.
The look of shock on Beth's face when I catch her straddled on her crib railing, trying to escape instead of nap. That shocked look quickly turning to a lop-sided two-toothed smile, trying to "cute" her way out of a scolding.
Feeling complete terror that first moment of trying to let go of the boat to snorkel in the big ocean, thinking only of sharks and barracuda. Bruce calmly, gently taking my hand. Suddenly all fear leaving me for some unknown reason, and I can let go.
Just Chris and I taking a covert late night drive down a quiet side street when he is eight. The windows open with a warm night breeze ruffling our hair. Driving about five miles per hour I reach down to turn off the headlights, just for a moment, so that we can better see the full moon beams dance over our faces and travel along our arms and hands. Then, Chris at fifteen, asking, 'Mom, want to go look at the moon?" We take the same drive, and turn off the lights to again watch the moon, just for a moment. He drives.
Grandma Anne looking up at me from a hospital bed. She says, "You've always had such purty eyes". As she's saying this I'm thinking the same about her, at the very same moment.
Sitting in the back seat with my sister and cousins, going down a country road somewhere in Alabama, listening to Mom and Aunt Faye harmonize "Tell Me Why," in the front seat. No matter how many times they sing it, I don't get tired of hearing it.
My mom's last words to me. "Take care of yourself".
We all have these "ordinary" moments. Memories. They have already happened. If we never get tomorrow's chance to have another "moment", we still have these. Nobody can take them away from us. We win.
Today I came across a quote from Benjamin Franklin. "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."
