Golden Moments-hard to put into words!

During this tourist adventure with my parents, I just had some of those, "I can't believe this is my life" moments! In a good way! (In the last few months, there have also been some of those not-so-good moments of disbelief, but that's for another entry!) Sometimes you just stop and realize that the "right now" experience is precious and wish that you could make it last. It may be a few seconds, or the time it takes to sip a glass of white wine along the Mosel River. I think those moments give greater meaning to our lives. Seeing new things and living new experiences expands our minds and broadens our reality. We cannot help but be changed by them.

There are far fewer differences between Germany and the United States than you might expect. But the differences seem meaningful. Things seem slower, more considered. The streets are impossibly narrow in these ancient towns, but they don't just tear down buildings to make big roads and bigger cheaper buildings. Cars are faster and can haul more stuff, but people still take their bicycles to the grocery store. There are places to go and things to do but people linger for hours over a meal and a glass of wine with friends or family. So it was those times on our adventure- when the four of us sat lingering together, slowing down and soaking up the "now," laughing, joking, already talking about the memories we'd made- that were golden. Maybe those moments could have happened anywhere but I think they were especially magical because it was so new and exciting for us all!