Reflective Waves


Laying in the grass along a spring flowing meandering river,  I looked through the leafing tree limbs at a crystal clear blue sky.  With the coolness of the earth on my back and the warmth of the spring sun on my face, I drifted into a semi napping state.  I was aware of my surroundings but lost in an amazing state of calmness.

My mind was empty of deadlines, conflicts, and goals to be accomplished. My body was motionless.  I was actually still and this state of calmness is unusual for me.  It is as rare as finding a four-leaf clover in the Sahara Dessert.

Words seem limiting to describe the feeling that washed over me.  It was like soft rolling waves lifting me and softly dropping me back.  Each wave seemed to take me back in time to the happiest of memories.   The thought of those moments were so realistic I could hear the sounds, taste the tastes, and see the moments.

Traveling through time, I wasn't experiencing the big life changing events.   The waves were lifting me to see beyond the horizon of the present to feel with all my senses the simple moments of life.  These sensory rich moments which still bring a smile to your face and an extra beat to your heart.

The waves lifted me to see back in time to relive...

  • ·      My mom introducing me to my brother for the first time.  It is my oldest memory.  I can here my mom saying brother as I say baby.
  • ·      Coming home for lunch in elementary school and eating a hot cooked meal prepared by my grandmother.  She was always so kind.
  • ·      My mom listening to me as I ate at the kitchen table after football or wrestling practice.  She was always there for me.
  • ·      Working and laughing with my Dad.  You could always count on him.
  • ·      Playing back yard full contact football at Brooker Filed after the Browns games.
  • ·      Clowning  around with my friends.  Especially, Wiz, Double D, Mac and Joe.   God must have needed a knucklehead to call Joe home so early in life.
  • ·      Carrie Lindsey pumping her fist looking up to the heavens and saying thank you  after she was successful.   I knew at that moment I was a teacher and I made a a difference.
  • ·      All 400 of students wearing neckties in honor of my birthday reminding me that I still matter in the lives of children
  • ·      Every moment I have spent with my son.  Birding, hiking, and watching the Tribe with Bud always make me happy.
  • ·      The radiant smile, the sparking eyes, and the lyrical laugh of my beautiful loving brown eyed girl.   My wife, Robin, is answer to all my prayers and dreams.  Her smile is the most beautiful sight.  She is and will always be everything to me.


As a mocking bird chirped and whistled in the leafing tree above me, I woke from the soft feel of gently rolling waves of time.   My eyes were full of dew and my face was warm. The waves of time reminded me that the life we live is not about the big life changing events.   A well-lived life is about appreciating the simple moments of every day life that we share with our family and friends.

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