Life's Moments

Life is full of moments that we remember. Some moments we remember and cringe. Others we remember and think ,we did that? Still others can only be described as magical moments. My hope with this is to begin a collection of stories that can be shared, that can make us smile, laugh and maybe shed a tear.

Magical moments

Magical Moments are those moments where you can look back and smile for so many reasons, in awe, with pride, and with love. They are moments  that last a very short time like a snowflake in your hand, but the memory lasts forever.

Chapter 1

When my daughter began to walk we quickly realized she only walked independently when she was in the comfort of our apartment. All other places she held tightly to the hands of a trusted adult. In addition my wife noticed that one of her eyes wandered, meaning only one seemed to focus on what ever she was looking at. We took her to a specialist. He agreed with my wife that she had amblyopia She was unable to see three dimensionally. Eye patches were tried for about six months. They did not work so at age two she had eye surgery where the muscles of her eye were cut and reattached.

After her surgery we were told that she might sleep for up to twelve hours. We brought our little one home in early evening sound asleep. By Two A.M. my wife and I were awakened by the sounds of little feet and then bang, little feet and then bang about every twenty or thirty seconds. I went out to check on her and she was trying to walk but kept bumping in to things. My still fuzzy brain could not understand what was going on. She looked up briefly at me with her eyes and eyebrows in a determined look, long enough to let me know she was busy and to not bother her.

We were told to bring her back to the eye doctor the next day for a follow up check up. When we parked the car we parked next to a snow bank. As I lifted her out of the car and on to the parking lot, she walked to a snow bank and put her right foot in to the bank and took it out over and over again. She did the same with her left foot and then jumped in with both feet over and over again.

It finally occurred to me what was happening not just at that moment but earlier. Since my daughter had never seen three dimensionally prior to her surgery, her two year old mind would assume that when her feet went in to the snow they would simply disappear. Her new vision gave her an opportunity to see her feet go in and out of the snow. Her mystery was solved. Her world was safer in her own mind. When she was bumping and banging she was relearning how to walk.

Later on that day we decided to visit an antique store. We brought our daughter along with two other children who were less than ten years old. People who work at antique stores are never fond of having small children in their stores. My daughter made them even more uncomfortable than usual when she picked up a small glass ball. A Store clerk ran to her as she turned the ball slowly in her hand while she stared at the ball. I explained that my daughter had never seen three dimensionally before and was just enjoying the experience. My explanation didn't seem to relieve the store keeper's stress so we quickly left and had lunch.

When we first were sat down at our table our daughter thrust her fork through a napkin and spent the rest of her time at the restaurant staring at her fork/napkin. I  don't believe she ate three bites the entire meal.We were witnessing a miracle. It was to be among my many magical moments that grow ever more valuable the older I get.

Chapter 2

We Didn't think You Could Do It But You Did It!