Fragments of

No matter how many moments in life we are granted, there are only a few never to be forgotten.

They are are engraved indelibly on our hearts throughout the remainder of our journey.

Mine are simple, and the instant I heard the words spoken they were injected into my soul and will never be erased.

Will you marry me?

You have a daughter.

You have a son (three times).

A Plane has hit the World Trade Center.

Your husband has cancer.

Art died at 8:03 this morning.

Simple words, but will forever remain embedded in my very being until the day I, too, board the ferry,

Sometimes I remember with a smile all the others that seemed so important and had no significance.

You can’t do that!

You are hired! You are fired!

He/she doesn’t like you.

You are not included. You don’t matter.

You are not invited. Your invitation is in the mail.

You have gained weight. You have lost weight.

You will be next on the list. It’s too late! It’s too soon.

You made a mistake. You were wrong. You didn’t qualify.

As well as a myriad of others,

And I never realized how unimportant all those fragments of unimportant minutiae were until it was too late.

That was when I heard the few I will always carry in my heart.