One of those Moments

I had an important realization today. I suppose it's something that I should have already known, but today it was just reinforced to me.

While our lives are often defined by relationships, events and places we've been, another part is also defined by moments. I should clarify what I mean. By moments, I refer to times, which may be large or small, when we realize what is most important or we just feel content. We may or may not recognize the significance at the time, but in retrospect we may be able to recognize why it was so important.

I had such a moment tonight. My niece is in the hospital this week. It was kind of a last minute change of plans on Wednesday morning when my sister and my niece were getting ready to leave for her doctor's appointment. I'm not going to go into detail, but suffice it to say they had to change one of her medicines and put her on some intravenous nutrition which meant she needed to be admitted to the hospital. Anyway, she hates being in the hospital, so it's been hard on her.

Tonight, my sister and I and her father and mother-in-law, who were visiting, went down to the cafeteria to have dinner. We got our food and headed out to a place my sister referred to as the Angel Garden. Basically, it's this really nice little garden spot just outside the entrance to the hospital, complete with a little waterfall. You can sit out there on benches and enjoy the atmosphere and see the mountains peek over the top of the hospital.

As we ate our dinner, we sat outside enjoying the beautiful night, listening to the sound of water and just relaxing. There's something so soothing about the sound of running water. My niece, whom I'll call her Miss Sassypants, had to bring a tower, with three IV bags and various other medicines to be able to leave her room, but just for that short time, she was able to relax and lay her head on her mom's lap. She's looked so sad all day (a side effect of the medicine) that it was nice to see her have some relief even for a short time. And I recognized this experience as one of those "moments" that only come along so often. I hope that I was able to enjoy it for what it was--and the peace it brought.