The City was on fire again. It was June, and the horror of last year’s evacuation and destruction was a shockingly close memory. We had spent the evening of the Waldo Canyon fire together, and it appeared as though fate had brought us together to spend time during the Black Forest fire that was currently raging out of control.
It was my eldest daughter’s birthday. Betsy’s best friend, Loren, one year older, shares the same birthday. Loren has always chided me that she is really my eldest, and she surmises that I had given her up for adoption at birth. It is a close relationship.
It was late in the evening, the air was acrid with smoke. We had finished dinner and had to check on a property that Loren was house sitting. As we approached the car, Loren said, “STOP!” She looked at me, she looked at Betsy, she took our hands in hers. “All we really have is this moment,” she said. “Take a deep breath, be aware, appreciate, let’s truly live this moment.”
The next hour and a half were magical. Our surroundings (which, among other things, included getting eggs from a large chicken coop) and our interaction and the smells in the air and the love for each other were intense. My awareness was truly heightened by her words. And I have thought of it so many times over the past week. How often are we AWARE of our surroundings, of the person we're with, of what we’re doing? How often are we really feeling what we’re living? So I encourage you . . . stop, take a deep breath, be aware, appreciate, truly live your moments.
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