That Moment When ...

My guess is that we've all had one of those "that moment when ..." moments at some point in our lives. That moment when something clicks and you realize that gnawing feeling you've had inside ... the one you've tried so desperately to push aside and ignore ... that moment when you realize that your gut feeling was right all along. Sadly, some people have had way too many of those moments ... so many, in fact, that it makes me wonder what keeps them from choosing to throw in the towel on humanity and take up residence in a cave. You know, I say I wonder what keeps those multiple "that moment when ..." folks from chucking it all and going all Mountain Family Robinson (one of my favorite movies of all time, by the way), but I think down deep inside I know the answer. I think those are the folks who have a really hard time believing that people may not be who they seem to be. I think those are the folks who believe everyone deserves a million second chances. I think those are the folks who believe that good will always beget good.

I'll admit that I've had a few of my own "that moment when ..." moments over the years, and I'll even admit that I've had a couple in the last few days. There's just no other way to say it ... those moments suck big time. And the suckiness of those moments is amplified a million times over when my heart is already heavy ... and trust me, my heart has been abundantly heavy for the last several days. Not heavy for myself, but heavy for the family and friends of the young singer who was shot following her concert ... heavy for the families and friends of those killed at the nightclub last weekend ... heavy for the wounded who will no doubt be emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives ... heavy for the parents of the little boy who was taken by the alligator last night. My heart hurts for the families ... my heart aches for the friends ... my heart grieves for the victims.

Today was an especially tough day for me in the "that moment when ..." category, and no, I'm not sharing any details. What I want to share, however, is that right smack dab in the middle of my "that moment when ..." moment, I received a completely unexpected text from a dear friend. A text that caused me to say out loud ... "that moment when I realize how very blessed I truly am." 

"Hey, any chance you could do lunch today? Or Friday? You have just been on my mind a lot. I can't wrap my brain around what happened this weekend and imagine if I'm struggling this much how hard it must be for those I love who are part of the community that was attacked. I just want to give you some love in person.

I think people sometimes don't know what to say and don't realize that their silence is saying something already. I don't pretend to have the right words to say or know what to do, but I want you to know that I won't be silent about it."

My friend had no way of knowing how badly I needed her words today ... she had no way of knowing how much her words would lift my heart ... she had no way of knowing they would remind me of the good in others ... she had no way of knowing, and yet she sent them anyway. 

Love in person may become my new mantra ... love in person, friends ... love in person.