Verklempt

     My Backyard Series                                    Cinderella Park                                                                    c-2012

Verklempt

There are times when I am walking, driving or just being that I find myself so overcome with the bigness of it all that I just have to pause.  I’ve been having more of these feelings lately. Perhaps it’s because my new life is slower paced or perhaps it’s because I want to witness more “bigness” ; I don’t really know or need to spend a lot of time on it, it just IS.

This morning Edy and I walked over to our church and gathered with a ton of other folks doing the same. We sat pretty darned close in row #6 and did not have to use the flanking monitors to see the emotion in the eyes of the choir or the pastor. There is a lot of musical revelry in that place and like concerts of old, passions get ignited and released. I dig it so much! My next door neighbor was just such a soul. She knew the words to every number and belted them out as loudly and emphatically as humanly possible. That her key and the song’s key were miles apart made no difference at all because she was into it as far as any one person could get into it and I loved her for that.  Go Mama, GO !!

The service itself was lead by the older brother of the “name act” and he did a fine job, notes and all. Then their 78 year old mother came on to give her testimony of being healed from a terminal illness and being free of that illness for over 31 years. She is an engaging devout woman who has taken her experience and turned it around to help others. I love that the whole family is involved, in humility and service. It inspires me. As Edy and I walked home I was reminded of my own reprieve from a terminal illness almost 28 years ago and I skipped a breath. I was Verkelmpt.

After we got home and changed our clothes we grabbed an umbrella and went for a walk in the rain. Edy and I talked about all the varied assortment of things we enjoy talking about as well as the service we just attended. The rain was warm and more a light mist than a shower and I let Edy keep the umbrella, while we strolled towards the Cinderella Park. Myrtle blossoms littered the streets where the earlier storm had blown them free of their mother ships. The colorful confetti of blossoms lined our path like a ticker tape parade. It was glorious.

 As we made our way back home through even more multi colored confetti our conversation turned to children, dreams and then on to priorities.   It all soon became just too BIG and again left me Verklempt.