“And at that moment,
it was like all of the disperate shards
of his life all fell together..”
- The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Kim Edwards

There are some moments that are so surreal, even as they unfold, that you have to take pause.  I had a few in the past year of my life.. and because I have a bit of free time this afternoon, I thought I’d share:

• In the midst of one of her first Mary Kay shows, in the kitchen of the Hastings house, my dear Ra let it slip that there was a reason she couldn’t partake in the wine.. she was expecting our newest member to the Coven, Scout.  I felt so lucky to be in the room at that moment, a feeling of such intense intimacy that I thought only happened in an HBO series.  Nine months later, I held that beautiful baby girl, with dark, dark eyes and a barely full blanket of fingers and toes..
• I had been proud of his hard work, dedication, and determination all year, but it had finally come to fruition: the one-act was before a very hard panel at district Trumbauer.  The show he chose was like nothing else presented, and the kids had worked HARD to pull it together at what seemed like the last minute.  Then, the results were announced to an overpacked auditorium.. one All-Star cast member, the Best Actor award in District, and yes, his kids were going to state.  Walking out, hand in hand, with the underdog.. I had never felt so proud.
• It came in a text message: PREGNANT. PLEASE CALL.  I was supposed to go sing at Music, Martinis, and More for IMP, but this took precedence.  I received the message while walking to my car, and I remember huddling in the January cold while I calmly listened to her.  A month later, she was home for Krewe Ball, moaning about how fat she had become, while the rest of us broke out magnifying glasses to find this “baby bump”.  And now, there is this perfect baby boy, with precious cheeks and adorable cooing, and I wonder how we ever lived without him.
• And the moment that I remember most vividly.. The Coven had all walked to Big Spring Park to hear the free music, while dining on Stanlieo’s subs.  The threat of rain drove us back to Chateau Hyatt, where Scout, Ra, and Steve headed south.  Steph and I sat on her porch in the coolest June evening ever created and drank red wine out of her fine lead crystal goblets.  We watched BB play with the light-in-bugs and lightly gossipped.  Our men were both out of town on business, and we had nowhere to be, no schedules to adhere to.  And I remember thinking, We’re all going to be fine.  We’re going to be okay. We’ll make it.

There are moments in the silence where all the answers lie.  We just have to listen.