Moments That Take Your Breath Away

The Journey…

It was a chilly October day with grey slate skies overhead. The Trailways Silver Eagle had been motoring up I95 to Baltimore, then turned north east up 795 to one of those little towns that we all have never been too, or ever heard of. Today’s journey would end on pavement surrounded by gravel shouldered streets, with trees growing out of the sidewalks, of Uniontown, Maryland. Every Spring the college I attended, Piedmont International University, took our music group on a 10 day singing tour. Gordon Smith, our director was leading us on another adventure. In my years at Piedmont, he taught us much more than just music, he taught how to live.

Though the bus was comfortable, the journey was long, and coming from North Carolina in one shot put us all in the mood to ‘get off the bus’. However, the temps were cool, and the further we got from the city the more cozy the bus became.

I would say…

Something magical was occurring, and I didn’t see it coming.

We all run into things in life that take our breath away. These things, at least in my way of thinking, are God’s flashing neon signs that say, “Hey, check out what I can do and… by the way, that’s just for you…”

I know, pretty myopic perspective, but nonetheless, it’s how I feel. At that moment, on the massive bus, all I could feel was the moisture from my breath on the big wide windows as the slightly fogged up countryside rolled silently past. The trees were red, yellow-gold, and brown, and both sides of the road were covered by these leaves as if they were Autumn’s welcome mat to Uniontown.

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Though I had been out of town many times, this was one of my first trips up North and I was only 21. Remember being 21? I was a green, scared, ‘believe the best in people’ kind of guy. This was ‘thrilling’ and ‘scary’ all at the same time. Sorta like your first kiss… so much anticipation and thrill, mixed with a good dose of fear… or could I say, “shaken, not stirred”.  🙂

Then Mr. Smith announced that we were coming into Uniontown, Maryland. The road was a single two lane blacktop built into a small town setting, with sidewalks and buildings squeezed right up onto the gravel shoulders. The trees grew unabated through both pavement and brick sidewalks, and the old 19th century architecture was perfectly preserved. The village, dating back to the 1800’s, was one of the oldest in the country.

The loud hiss of air brakes accompanied the orders to get off the bus. That wasn’t an issue for anyone, due to the amount of time we’d been traveling, but there was something in the air, that tingle of excitement you get at being in a new place… and something more, something different. I think I get my sixth sense from both my mom and dad. It is a blessing and sometimes a curse. It is something that is hard to shut off.

It was cold, not cold like North Carolina, but a cold that was heavy with a wind… a wind traveling down the street with a mind of its own; licking past old-style shuttered buildings, elderly but strong trees, and our parked bus. The leaves were moving and dancing with the unseen spirit’s breath, and it felt like a show was about to start… the lights had dimmed and all were quiet for the entrance into a new world.

I stepped off the bus and at once felt my place, as if I had a special invitation. It was real, whatever it was. The shoulder of the road connected to a covered walkway for the Uniontown Post office. That part of the covered sidewalk was brick, but uneven from the roots underneath trying to reach the stars. As I walked up and over the jagged old brick walk, it occurred to me how many footfalls these bricks had carried back in the days when a horse was tied to the hitching post, or a wagon pulled up with a load of goods ready to head back to a homestead outside of town. This town stood long before the advent of electricity. People connected by horseback letter and love.

The years of people that graced this walkway was astounding, and their presence seemed to welcome me.

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The post office sign above my head swung, as the wind playfully whipped past and over me. The creaking of the rusty hinges made me look up at the weathered, painted sign. Boarded and framed like a picture, the sign was clearly hand painted and was from a bye-gone era. The attempts to keep it ‘pristine’ had failed, but left it with an ‘old-world’ feel. The wind picked up, and I noticed a small whirlwind appear, each time the air decided to stop. I was wondering what would cause the change in direction and speed, when I noticed a child, no more than seven, standing in the middle of the road, gloved and wrapped against the cold, by a concerned mother.

The wind changed course and decided to play with the little boy. Like a dancing girl in a large hoop dress, the wind picked up hundreds of leaves, in all colors, shapes and sizes, and started spinning them in its own version of a pinwheel, around the little boy. The cone of leaves started at his feet and quickly engulfed him.

I was fascinated by this, and stood watching by the Post Office sign, which was now still. We both, the sign and myself, couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The leaves, picked up by the wind, formed a upside down triangle of color, reflecting light up and over the little boy’s head. He stood there, arms outstretched, touching the leaves as they whipped past him higher and higher. The leaves moved faster and faster, and the boy’s smiled spread across his face in relation to the growing speed and height of the leaves. I found myself smiling and starting to laugh, as I watched the wind perform its dance.

Then in a single moment, the wind ceased, and the leaves fell, drifting to the ground in a lifeless pattern. At that moment, the boy and I connected. Just for a second, we looked at each other and shared what just occurred. We both knew… something magical had wrapped us up, and for me, it was my welcome to Uniontown Maryland.

I never saw him again.

I was only in Uniontown for one night.

That was 29 years ago and to this day, I can still touch, taste, and smell that event which lives in my heart, soul, and mind… like it was yesterday.

It took my breath away.

Dedication – Gordon Smith, my mentor, music teacher, voice coach, and friend took us on many journeys through the years and changed our lives for the better. Gordon slipped beyond these shores on January 17th, 2015 to join hands again with his beloved wife and his Savior on a new shore, a shore where tears will be wiped away and the blue skies of ‘His’ universe reigns forever and ever.


“Thank you Mr. Smith, You will always be missed.”

5 Responses

  1. another masterpiece, son! no words can describe how I felt when I read this. you captured the moment and place so and the person of Gordon Smith. I’m sure he approves> Just beautiful! TEARS.

  2. hat wonderful imagery, an what a wonderful eulogy. Thanks for recalling it all, thanks for sharing it. It warmed my heart today.

  3. I had a take your breathe away moment last night….I am house sitting for the boss on twenty acres in the middle of no where….no city light…just the lights from inside the house and the head lamp on my head. The sky is so clear….the stars amazing…realizing that it takes some time for my eyes to adjust the the darkness….when I see a falling star…..God using what it takes to catch my attention. I got to just stand in the beauty and breathe.

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