The Perfect Blossom

“When I try to remember my life with him, it’s within his letters where my memories unfold. They fill my quiet thoughts. Now, half my life is over, but he still takes me to one afternoon when I was 10. It seems to be our beginning and our end. Like a seed planted to grow, only to die, and grow again.

He would have liked hearing it put this way.”

-excerpt from “Men, Like Trees” prologue

Do we ever know the moments, as they’re happening, that will become the landmark memories of our life? Something in me says we do. They’re in the few second pause, before we speak, where we have a sense of the perfect words to say.

But we don’t pause long enough, search deep enough, so instead of a Loving memory, a Regretful seed gets planted.

“The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your whole life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.” -from “The Last Samurai”

When my life is over…I too will “fill the quiet thoughts” of those I knew. Until then, I pray I will pause long enough to hear in my heart and speak, the perfect words…

…the perfect blossom.

“…the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” Duet. 30:14