EVERY SO OFTEN THERE COMES A SPECIAL MOMENT or TWO or MORE

                             A VERY SPECIAL DAY

It was difficult to admit but the smell was overpowering and if I needed additional confirmation the quart of milk purchased only last night was sour. I had to admit that my wife's comment the day before that she thought the refrigerator {I like to call it an ice box which infuriates my children} was near death.

Without skipping a beat we headed into Yonkers and went to one of the only appliance stores left - maybe in the whole country - definitely so in New York - PC Richards.

With surprisingly no conflict at all we both agreed to a no frills - this time - white front { I hate those silver things} minus the ice maker on the outside that broke down twice and cost us a small fortune to replace. {Any way it is more challenging to make the ice.}  My wife said no more double sided ones and would have preferred a freezer on the bottom but settled for one on the top becasue the rest of it looked more attractive to both of us.

Now what salesman should we pick?

The first salesman to come into our direct line of sight was an older man of about 75 { I should talk as I am rapidly approaching that elegant age} and was notably stooped over. I am sensitive to that kind of appearance and thought for a moment of rejecting him but overrode my prejudice because I got one of those waves of instantaneous attunments I occassionally have when the psychological planets all seem to be in allignment.

In response to my wife's request for a tape measure - he instantly said "well lets go see what you are interested in and I will tell you all you will need to know."

Knowing him for only a few moments was a genuinely warm and gratifying experience for the two of us. We even exchanged psychiatrist jokes. I have to admit his was funnier than mine.

As a bonus I got a credit card with no interest for a year, plus found a new vacuum cleaner for a rediculous price impressing my wife who has been upset that our present machine has been belching dust through its backside despite numerous changes of bags and a lot of cursing. {Cursing really doesn't work so well when a machine is near death.}

Upon getting out of our Toyota Sienna - a major compromise for me because I never liked its bigness and its odd front look but that's what you have to do when you live in the subburbs with two kigh school kids - or at least something like it - we were greeted by Becky - a neighbor and her precious 22 month old little girl - E...... - who were coming to visit.

Kids that age love to visit. It must be thrilling to them to begin to extend their boundaries.  Pretty impressive feat for only an almost two year old. No?

Anyway - I was looking around for two packets of flower seeds I had intended to plant to round out my seed planting for the summer to have the awful experience of not being able to locate them even though I knew I had seen them in the morning. I hate that feeling when I know I am in perfect control and then am faced with the fact that someone or something has - in this case - eaten, stolen, thrown out, put into the attic, or who know what other plausible explanations there might be - obviously to torture me or at least make my ordered life chaotic.

I expressed some of my frustration outloud and remarkably Becky came to my rescue. "I have seeds, Gibbs, peas, and scallions and two mixtures of flower seeds. Please take them." How sweet. Makes be believe that synchronicities must indeed be messages from divinity. {Just kidding - I really don't believe that "spirit" gives one hoot about my gardening successes or failures.} Still it is interesting that she happened to have two packages of nearly the same seeds I had misplaced. Oh well there are some things that defy absolute explanation.}

Then to top it off in purusing Gather, in response to a very thoughtful message, I went to the following web site: http://barbarychaapel.eveusa.com/poem_russ.htm.

Stop what ever you are doing at this very moment and go to this site. In my not to humble opinion this is one of the truly impressive web sites I have ever had the pleasure to look and hear at.

I will not share with you what I saw as that would deprive any and all from experiening for yourselves the beauty, sensitivity, and depth that cannot fail to be noticed when you see and hear its contents.

So in conclusion- occassionally there are those rare special moments when all the psychological planets seem to be in conjunction when being alive - despite the inevitable broken appliances, and the misplaced whatevers, are transcended by serendiptious meaningful connections with friends and strangers.