A Most Thought Provoking Question...

The other day I was getting my hair cut and my hair dresser asked me, "What was the most exciting thing you have ever done in your life?"  This question stopped me in my tracks, because no one thing popped into my head.  All I could say was, "At my age, I've done so many exciting things that I really can't pinpoint just one!"

I've stood behind Niagara Falls and watched the power of the falls as they plunged to the water below; I've climbed the stairs inside the Statue of Liberty and looked out over the amazing panorama of New York City;  I've stood at the Feet of Abraham Lincoln in the Washington, DC memorial and looked up in awe at the man who went down in history as one of the greatest American Presidents this country has ever produced;  I've walked the "trail of tears" in Nauvoo where the Saints were driven from their homes by the mobs in Illinois;  I've stood on holy ground inside nine different Temples and mingled with both the Saints there and the spirits in attendance;  I've walked on original Roman roads in York, England, and on the grounds of the Campbell Invarary Castle in Scotland;  I've visited ancient castles in both Scotland and England and wondered at the miracle of history;  and I've climbed mountains.

How does one choose which experience was "the most exciting"?  That question has haunted me ever since that day.  Could it be that my life has been so mundane that no ONE experience stands out in my mind as exciting?  Or maybe my definition of exciting is different than the average persons.

EXCITING...hmmm...what in my life has been exciting?

Was it the first time I was up on a stage, performing my very first tap routine?  That was pretty exciting to me.  Or was it the day my mother brought my new baby sister home from the hospital?  She was so tiny and I learned pretty quickly that she couldn't play with me for a very long time.  Or maybe it was my very first kiss!  That really was exciting...and wet and sloppy and yuck!  No, that wasn't it.

I think for starters, the very first most exciting experience I had was my wedding day.  It was a beautiful summer day in June, 1958.  There was no other day like it...ever!  I waited my whole life for that day.  And it didn't disappoint me...it was the most exciting day of my life.

The second most exciting experience of my life was giving birth to my first child.  No amount of preparation could ever get a girl ready to be a mother!  I read all the books, talked to lots of mothers and listened to my own mother put in her two cents worth.  None of that can teach you the absolute emotional joy of having that little tiny bundle of sunshine placed in your arms  for the very first time.  She was amazing.  I didn't ever want to put her down.

In my lifetime, I have never jumped out of an airplane with a flimsy parachute strapped to my back;  I've never  para-sailed or scuba dived or driven a race car at maddening speeds;  nor have I found myself up on the silver screen playing the part of a lifetime (although I've lived many parts in my head a million times, whenever I've watched a good movie);  I haven't traveled the world and seen all those exotic places I dream about;  and I've never sung a live duet with Barbra Streisand (though I really, really wanted to when I was a younger me).

No, the two most exciting things I have ever done in my life were to first be a wife, and second a mother.  My greatest joys have come through those two titles.  And, as I get older, the title of Grandmother, and even Great-grandmother are music to my ears.  I would have it no other way.