Those Moments in Life When Time Stands Still Are Treasures

Those moments in life when time stands still are treasures

Most people, at some point in their lives, can recall moments, when however fleeting, life seemed good, and at least for that moment, time stood still and life was good. As we recall those soothing moments from the cobwebs of our cerebral databases, we sometimes yearn to return to that time and to make time stand still again.

Robert Browning ends his poem, Pippa's Song, with the words, "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world." Everything's as it should be. The line evokes feelings of serenity and security. We associate the poem and Browning's lines with tranquility. For me, one of the most tranquil moments in my life occurred in April, 2006, when my son and I vacationed in Alaska. Neither of us had ever been before and we were both eager to wear ourselves out basking in this winter wonderland. On our last hiking day we drove to a small remote park outside Anchorage to see a glacier. Four inches of snow had tucked in the sleeping landscape the night before. It was early morning, just as the sun was popping over the mountains. We parked our car and trudged down a narrow path to the lake. As the trees parted we saw the frozen lake and glacier in front of us. I grabbed Quentin's arm.

"Listen." I said. "What do you hear?"
"Nothing," he said.
"Exactly?"

The only sound was our solitary chatter. No bird calls echoed. No tree branches swayed. No deer searched for food. The fresh snow betrayed no fresh tracks, other than those made by our boots. We were alone. All was still. All was right with the world. We were, at once, literally frozen in time (the temperature was 4°).

Standing in the fresh, cold snow we both captured the moment with our Kodaks. Thin reed-like branches rose from their winter abode and helped form the border of our majestic tableau. Behind the branches still-green pine triangles mingled with the branches and jutted into the crisp Alaskan air. Behind the pines, and visible through them, a wide swath of ice, which is a river nine months out of the year, meandered through the countryside and disappeared behind more lofty pines further upstream. Above the river bed white, snow-covered peaks wrapped around the glacier, as if to comfort and provide shelter for the glacier that had carved its own path across the centuries. And above it all was a flawless, brilliant, crystal-blue Alaskan sky. We stood completely still and silent for what seemed like hours soaking up the awe and wonder of this timeless tableau in front of us.

On the way home from our vacation in Alaska my son and I were chatting about our trip. We both agreed that our Kodak moment in the glacier park was the highlight of our trip. We both agreed that the next best highlight was a distant second. Today, almost four years later, my son and I both affectionately recall our moment in time when God was in His heaven and all was right with the world. Folks who experience those priceless moments when all seems right in their world cherish those moments, recall them with affection, preserve them in their hearts and minds. Those moments are always refreshing to revisit.

I go back often to that cold, wintry glacier park my son and I visited on our last day of hiking in Alaska. I don't vacation there. I go back in my mind. The temperature outside doesn't register. The bitter cold of the Kodak moment isn't part of the trip. What draws me back to that place is the silence and the breathtaking landscape where, for a flicker, time stood still and all was right with the world. To read more of my writing and learn more about my tutoring for writers visit my website at http://www.writerteachersteve.com

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