Sometimes moments of pure peace overwhelm me and it
is impossible not to take notice. Such was the feeling driving the 280 some
miles from one side of the state of Washington to the other. We spent the
week-end with my parents and were driving across the middle of the state. The
weather was perfect and I could see the Cascade Mountains in the far distance.
We crossed the great Columbia River and continued our journey from flat plateaus
and plains to snow and ice covering the forests of Snoqualmie Pass. I relished
the feeling of “all is right with the world”…in that moment. My parents have
both had challenging health issues the last few months but at this time they
were both doing well. We had a wonderful time visiting, laughing, doing a few
chores and sharing a bond that is decades long. We gathered, as we have for
many, many years, around the dinner table with my sister and her family,
sharing one more meal that my mother had prepared. In addition, my two
daughters are both well. Linea is working, playing and planning her upcoming
trip to India. Jordan is busy with work, her “almost five-year old” son (my precious grandson!) and
preparing for the birth of our first grand-daughter in May. Jordan's husband and
Linea’s boyfriend are fine, just fine. Their father and my husband was beside me and I was
grateful. In this moment those closest to me were not in a health crisis. They had
the ability and opportunity to make decisions about their own lives and were
planning for the future. I know how quickly things can change. I hold these
moments so dear because I have experienced and remember the fear, pain and sadness that
is also a part of life but is often unexpected and overwhelming. I treasure
these small pockets of joy and peace and not only savor each one but store them
away as precious commodities, to be pulled out and remembered when times aren’t
as simple.
