Exceptional moments

There are events in everyone's life that are unforgettable. I am not talking the biggies like births, weddings, deaths, graduations, but little things that happen completely unexpectedly and whenever something triggers the memory it is impossible not to smile.

Memory 1

Llara, who was 17 at the time, and I were traveling from Köln to Toulouse by train. We were the only two people in the compartment.

Just as we pulled out of Köln a young woman, long brown hair and a beautiful brown suede coat walked by our compartment. A few minutes later she returned and asked if she could join us.

She was traveling to Strasbourg where her mother was ill. We ended up in a three-way discussion that linked our lives as women of three different generations and two countries.

When the train pulled in Strasbourg and she gathered her things she smiled, "I chose you two because you looked interesting," she said.

We were so glad she did.

Memory 2

Part of my 45th high school reunion was a tour of the school itself. A junior had volunteered to show we old folks around.

I was standing next to Dottie B. "Remember how they always said, 'Don't run in the halls?'"

We exchanged a look.

Then we ran pell mell down the corridor.


Memory 3

Yesterday I was with Rick and a friend of decades in Lexington at the old North Bridge where the shot heard around the world was heard. When we went to the visitors center we saw a little book "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Longfellow.

In school I had to memorize it and I still can recite the opening "Listen my children and you shall here..."

My friend picked it up and automatically we decided to read it allow alternating stanzas, although he did two in a row while I searched for my glasses.

There are other memories like this of course, so many little treasures of life.