Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Moment . . .


This title... in today's newspaper introduced a cartoon ~ Rhymes with Orange.
The middle-aged “man of the house” wearing striped pyjamas is propped up against a single pillow in his four-poster double-size bed.  On one side is a shag floor mat, the other side a small table with a vase of flowers and a glass half-filled with water. A scenic mountain picture hangs on the wall. His wife, knitting, sits on a chair drawn close to his bed. She quits her needles, seriously facing her husband as he speaks. “I saw a bright light and went towards it. Suddenly words appeared, 'Are you sure you want to shut down now?' I chose 'cancel' and here I am!”

“Moment” is defined as a brief, indefinite interval of time; a particular period of importance, influence or significance in a series of  events or developments.

Perhaps you, the reader, has had a “Moment in Life” that transformed your thinking...perhaps a decision that impacted a positive change
 or a path that led to unexpected achievement.

Consider these Historic Moments

Charles Lindbergh (an American aviator) at 7:52 AM on May 20, 1927 gunned the engine of his “Spirit of St. Louis” and aimed her down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field, Long Island. Heavily-laden with fuel, the plane bounced down the muddy field, gradually becoming airborne. Thirty three and one-half hours and 3,500 miles later, he landed in Paris...the first to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone!

The spectacular 1937 destruction of the German dirigible Hindenburg, called into severe question , one of the first means of realizing man's dream of flying.

The Second World War...a military conflict that began in 1939. The climactic battle of WWII ended with the D-Day invasion on Normandy Beach June 6, 1944...the Germans surrendered.

The Moment of Silence is observed each Remembrance Day at 11 AM (November 11 in Canada)...a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection or meditation...to honour those who have served our country in wartime.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 was the spaceflight which landed the first humans on the Moon! Neil Armstrong declared, “That's one small step for Man; one great leap for Mankind.”

“Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time” brought together women chemists from 37 countries on January 18, 2011 using modern communication tools...to meet for a “breakfast meeting” in similar time zones linked to the other countries...from Poland to Prague, The Netherlands, Germany, Peru,
Liverpool, Colombia, etc.

To tread back into history... meet Dr. Marie Curie who is known to the world as the scientist who discovered radio-active metals i.e. Radium and Polonium. She was a Polish physicist and chemist who lived 1867 to 1934.

In Today's World, Consider:

...a camera photo, capturing a Memorable Moment, forever to be viewed.

...the Wedding Day when two lives unite, wedded in matrimony with promises declared to each.


...Olympic joy when an athletic record is set and a gold medal awarded.

...accolades when an actor is announced as an Academy Award recipient.

...the Touchdown pass that wins a toughly fought game.

...the Home Run that wins a World Series Baseball game.

...a Grand Prix Jump-off when it is often the fraction of a second that decides the winner.

...the first bloom on a newly planted rose bush.



Today, the cartoon, aforementioned, was the source of my ruminations about Moments in Life.
The most significant moment in My Life was when our son was born! Full term, he was...at eight pounds, rosy complexioned with chubby cheeks, perfectly formed hands and feet, dark hair (as his father's); a wonderful treasure to cherish ~ as he lay upon my then deflated tummy.
Truly, a Miraculous Minute!
Significance of Birth as a Landmark Moment...is attaining Personhood!


A man in love beautifully comments, “All that matters is the serenity
of the moment;
just being with her...and breathing with her!”


We must not allow the clock and the calendar
to blind us to the fact
that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery.”
(H. G. Wells)



Merle Baird-Kerr
(written July 26, 2011)


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