Tiny Moments...

I drove my vehicle down Baltic Avenue while in Virginia Beach last weekend while attending the national indoor field hockey tournament, and was stunned when my eyes spotted my old apartment complex. There it was. I slowed to a crawl, and pulled over and parked. I sat quietly and stared at the building, thinking back thirty years and to the summer of my 19th year.

I got out of the car, crossed the street and stood at the front of the three-story building. I could NOT believe it was still there. In my mind I suddenly saw myself a 19 year-old girl leaning against the porch post reeling from the news the police had just given her.

Our summer “apartment” family had gathered at a local hot spot not far from the beach to celebrate the end of the summer – and to say goodbye. Mike and Johnny, the boys in the apartment next door, never made it home. So there I stood, my head bowed in my hands and my body shaking with sobs.

It was a moment. Sometimes memories sneak upon you from behind, and knock the wind out of you. I said a quick prayer for the boys- thanked the Lord AGAIN that I hastily declined their ride home that night, and brushed away a tear.

I wonder how many other “tiny moments” have extended my life. I wonder.