Day 691
Maya Angelou's quote hit home this morning...
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
Rounding a corner on our first Golden Walk, the wind hit me in the face and, literally, took my breath away for an instant. Surprise turned into wonder as I took deep breaths and enjoyed the feeling of the breeze playing across my face. It truly was lovely.
On subsequent Golden Walks, I was on the lookout for those moments that might be missed unless I was aware. I found them in profusion and embraced each one. New plants pushing up through the earth, robins singing their song, a hint of what will blossom on the lilacs bushes and so much more. When I allowed myself to take a moment to welcome these moments, I could actually feel each one stealing a bit of breath as I let them into my heart.
Running errands with daughter Katie and sweet Asher this morning, we decided to stop by the cemetery to say hello to loved ones. This being his first time, Asher had quite a few questions, but seemed to embrace the moment. Promising to share pictures with him of these relatives soon, we headed across the street to our resident ghost's resting spot. We are on the Anoka Ghost Tour, and Colonel Giddings is the center of most stories within our walls. We paused for a moment or two and then left with promises to return, bringing tools to clean the area.
Speaking of our resident ghost, my breath has been taken away more than once in The Big White House. Although I still tend to side with my rational self, there are so many unexplainable moments within these walls that lend themselves to the stories shared by the Historical Society when they lead their guests from house to house. As they gather their groups outside our home, they recite many tales of our ghostly lodgings.
One of my favorites certainly took that breath right out of me! Decorating for the holidays one year, I was on a chair placing the star on the dining room tree. Being home alone, I was shocked as one of the chair legs collapsed and my slow-motion fall commenced. As I fell backwards, the feeling of hands being placed on my back preceded my most gentle fall to the floor, instead of the table where I had started towards. With the dogs surrounding me in concern, I realized that I was totally unscathed! Once I caught my breath again, I tried to find an explanation for this miracle! The only one I could come up with was that our resident ghost had been watching and stepped in to break my fall in the most caring way. Replaying that experience, where INDEED my breath was taken away, I cannot come up with any rational explanation whatsoever.
So...we include the Colonel's memory in our story and do what we can to honor his life. We actually feel like he is part of our family.
As for taking my breath away, I prefer being inspired by nature's surprises and not unexplained occurrences in my home. At least I had a crew of Therapy Dogs to assure me all would be well as I looked up at the chandelier from the dining room floor!
