Heart Stopping Mangoes & Marriage

Posted by parkejladd on Jun 23, 2009 in Featured {Article}, Greatness | 1 comment

Heart stopping experiences are rare for most of us, but, when they do occur, tend to have a striking impact, creating a crater-of-a-memory, never to leave us for the rest of our lives.

When was the last time your heart stopped?

I remember the first time I tasted fresh mango.  The allure of it’s texture, fragrance, color, density and taste has never left me.  Every time I enjoy a fresh mango, I am taken back to that first, virgin taste, and it makes each successive mango-experience all the more fulfilling.

I remember the first time I saw the Grand Canyon.  My heart stopped.  The view literally abducted the breathe right out of my lungs.  My legs undulated at the vastness of it’s size and my mind was stretched by the power of it’s depth.  At that point in time I had never seen a more spectacular, overwhelmingly beautiful site before in my entire life.

I remember the first time I saw my wife on our wedding day.  My heart stopped.  I will never forget what she looked like as she took that first step out from around her hiding place.  I had seen Quinn a million times before in a million different situations, but never had I seen her like this.  That initial, overwhelming gaze into her deep, green eyes as she took her walk down the aisle toward me is something that my mind will never release; it’s too important to ever forget.  We were married on a mountain top on a gorgeous, sunny, June, Appalachian day.  We were surrounded by family and friends, outstanding mountain ranges, flowers, and lovely music.  We were encompassed by beauty, yet no matter how hard everything else tried to stand out, nothing could overwhelm the intrinsic, heart-stopping beauty radiating from my wife-to-be.  I had tasted the goodness of mango, and I had observed the Grand Canyon, but nothing compared to the moments spent gazing at my new bride as she walked down the aisle.  Nothing ever has, and I doubt that anything ever will as long as I live on this earth.

Admittedly, heart-stopping moments can be painful as well.  Maybe your last heart-stopping moment is something that you wish you could forget forever, but the memory just won’t go away.  Either way, I believe that heart-stopping instances are moments that we’re supposed to remember because if they are important enough to remember forever, than they are important enough to tell people about.  The most heart-stopping moments in our lives are the stories which we will tell time and time again.  They are important not only to our lives, but also to the lives of others.  If you have a heart-stopping memory, tell other people about it.  Tell your story.  How else will we ever be inspired?  How else will we ever experience your joy or your pain?  How else will we ever learn?

If it’s heart-stopping, it’s worth sharing.

Happy 1 year anniversary Quinn.