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Showing posts from February 10, 2010

Magical Moment 12, "The Gift of Hank"

One day, several years ago just after my grandpa passed away, my grandma and I were upstairs in his old office sorting through boxes and papers. His absence was still fresh in my mind as I came across pictures and old notes written in his handwriting. The house seemed different without him in it, yet my grandma managed to carry on the warm, welcoming atmosphere for the both of them. I still don’t know how she does it. “Oh my goodness, Elizabeth,” I heard my grandma say as she pulled out a package from a disheveled pile on the desk. “Look at this.” She held up the object. It was a box set of Hank Williams Sr. CDs. I took the CDs and looked them over, wondering what the significance could be. I looked up and waited for her to explain. She said that once, a long time ago, her and grandpa saw a commercial on TV advertising the Hank William’s box set. Grandma had mentioned how much she liked his songs. Several days later, the same commercial came on and Grandpa asked her, “Wouldn’t you l

Magical Moment 11, "The Unlikely Hero of the Ice"

One February day, high up in the Smoky Mountains, a father and his 4 sons pulled their car to the shoulder of the winding, steep road to admire the majestic beauty of a tumbling waterfall on the side of the mountain. The water fell from high above their heads – from where, they could not see. The powerful force plunged down the vertical, brown rock and crashed intensely to the earth. Then calmly but rapidly, the water carried on into a peaceful stream flowing far out into the distance. Beautiful, wet snowflakes fell softly from the sky, making a blanket of snow on the ground. The brown trees were so numerous and dense, their branches were indiscernible from one tree to another – only defined by a white line of snow that had accumulated enough to graze the upper half of each limb. The freezing temperature had caused a lavish display of crystal icicles, each one unique in shape and size. At the base of the waterfall, some icicles froze into tiny droplets, building on one another unti

Magical Moment 10, "The Frog and The Owl Valentine's Day"

The Frog and the Owl Restaurant is a small café in Franklin, NC where my husband is attending a Park Ranger Certification course. It is one of the few places to eat in the small, Smoky Mountain town other than a fast food or a pizza place. Located on a cobble stone street in between an ice cream parlor and a thrift store, this is where we ate our Valentine’s dinner. The quaint restaurant was lovely and warm inside, with candles to light each table and artwork on the walls displaying scenes from the beautiful mountainous region. The menu was a selection of pastas, seafood, and steak with a unique and creative twist to each dish. Our normal dinner conversation usually consists of what Eddie is doing in school or what I have been working on back home, but instead we began reminiscing about past Valentines Days and other milestones we’ve reached as a couple. He’s told me the story before, but there is nothing like hearing it again – the day we met. We were both in the Army and it was m

Magical Moment 9, "A Goodbye"

An aged man lay in his hospital bed alone. He listened to the beeps and hums of the machine next to him and the footsteps of nurses and patients as they passed by his room. He concentrated on breathing, coaxing his lungs to move in and out with every passing second. He kept his eyes opened and studied each wall in his small room – the generic art work, the cracks, the cobwebs that no one notices and therefore never cleans. The only view out his window was blue  sky. He knew his time on earth would soon come to an end. He was alone for a lot of reasons. He spent what could have been the happiest, most enjoyable time in his life, answering the call of his country in Vietnam. When he returned, his interests changed. And because he could no longer connect to the world on a normal level, he spent his years alone, drinking and smoking. He never caused trouble. He never harmed a soul, but the damage to himself was now taking its’ toll. He lived in the same house for over 30 years, n

Magical Moment 8, "The Things We Do For Love"

I drove for 2 days in a blizzard to be with my husband for Valentines Day. Not just any blizzard, but the worst one on the East Coast in over a century. With me, I had a very scared, very loud cat and a very squirmy, energetic puppy. I spent the night in a fleabag motel when whiteout conditions would let me go no further. To top it off, my ipod died barely an hour into the journey. (In case you’re wondering, this is why there was no blog yesterday – no internet in the flea bag motel). I began to think about the things we do for love and it reminded me of another road trip in the not so distant past. Last summer, I made a 24-hour trek from Nebraska to North Carolina with my sister, my dog, and my two nephews ages 3 and 1. In case you’re curious, this involved not only the normal amount four people’s luggage for a month, but dog food, car-seats, diaper bags, strollers, and high-chairs, most of which had to be strapped to the top of my car with bungee cables and old rope found in my par

Magical Moment 7, "The Skyline"

I’ll never forget the first glimpse I caught of the New York City skyline. In the passenger seat of my Hyundai Santa Fe with the backseat filled with boxes, pillows, and a dog, I saw the dark geometric shapes stretch across the horizon as we drove along I-95. I was amazed at how clearly I saw the buildings even though the GPS said we were still 45 minutes away from our destination. Despite the 10 hour car ride, hunger pains, and sleep deprivation, I shot straight up and glued my nose to the window. As we got closer, the true outline of the buildings became clearer. Stacked rows of light shone through the square office windows making the vastness of the structures even more impressive. It was a mountain of buildings, sprinkled with lights. I thought about all the moments we would encounter here – the struggles, the work, the frustration, and the success. It’s still difficult to describe the level of shock I experienced my first days in the city. For a Nebraska girl whose idea of a traf