Portraits of Life
Chapter Two, Part Three
“A loving heart is one who seeks the true essence of life in each and every new day, turning what one might consider to be ordinary, into the extraordinary; seeing things, not as they are, but as the heart desires them to be, turning life itself into whimsical adventures of self-discovery. For it is the expectation of ’the possible’ that unlocks the secret desires of the soul – an old friend found again or a new one gained, new links forged into the future, memories of joyful times once long forgotten but now found, or a long, lost love appearing out of the blue. The ability to see beyond the ’circumstances of the routine’ allows for magical moments where dreams really do come true, and unmet desires are unexpectedly fulfilled. To view life otherwise, is to deny that such moments exist – when even our hearts know otherwise - from both our own experience and from heartfelt stories of people who have no reason to exaggerate. Whether from God and His Angels, Santa and his Elves, or from an ordinary man, woman or child; all possibilities continue to exist in life - as long as a beating heart holds a desire to do good - and turns that ‘good intention’ into a reality for another tender heart somewhere in the world. A prayer answered, a donation made, a Secret Santa bearing gifts, a Good Samaritan righting a wrong, or a random act of kindness towards an unsuspecting stranger – all bring the improbable into the realm of the actual - creating anew what was never even before thought or imagined - with such overwhelming impact that a life is forever transformed through a single act of love. Thoughts and prayers, borne on the wings of a white dove into the vastness of creation itself, carry with them the dream of a helping hand for God and His Angels, for a Secret Santa bearing unexpected gifts, for able arms to lift a heavy burden from another, or for a simple act of love to transform another beating heart into a new creation – through love.”
“David, I’m glad I was able to reach you – the time zone difference makes it difficult to catch you when you’re not in court or meeting with clients. How are you, dear? I’m a little jet lagged from the flight, but the weather in Germany has been wonderful so far – you know those fresh spring mornings I so love.”
“Susan! I’m so glad to take your call – I was just about to meet with Jeff on the Thompson deal – you know the re-development contract for the historic ‘Williams District’ of downtown Charleston. You’d love the architectural drawings – everything’s authentic and true to 18th century period details. It will add a whole new dimension to downtown once this project is completed. We’re drawing up all of the contracts this week. So tell me, how was the flight over?”
“Excellent. The Delta connection at Atlanta was smooth and everything was on time, including our arrival into Frankfurt. I picked up the bags ok and the rental car is wonderful to drive on the autobahn. I’m at a rest stop off the autobahn at the moment, and wanted to catch you before it got too late in the day. I’m driving to Rothenburg ob der Tauber – one of my favorite spots in Bavaria, as you know. I’ll be staying at the ‘Romantik Hotel Marksuturm’ in the town center. The contact information is on my desk in the study with the copy of my itinerary if you need to reach me. Otherwise I’ll check in with you when I can. The hotel is in the town center and dates back to 1264. I just love the ‘old world’ aspects of Europe, and can’t wait to see our house in Kitzbuhel. Even if the house does need work - I can’t wait to be ‘introduced to it’ – you know what I mean. As I think about the generations that lived there, it gives me a feeling of intimacy with the past that requires us to preserve it in a historic manner; as a way of paying respect to all of those souls who lived there over the years. You know how sentimental I get when I talk about old houses – they really do have a soul and a personality that is all their own.”
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t rearrange my schedule to make this trip honey, but I don’t honestly know when I’ll ever get a chance to see it. You’ll have to send me pictures and keep me updated by email. With the meeting schedule and with the Partnership possibly being offered this summer or fall – you know that I have to work straight through – and once I’m a Partner I don’t foresee a vacation, at least long enough to see Europe properly, anytime on the horizon. After 15 years as a Partner I could end up at the top – because the others will guaranteed be retired by then – then it’s all downhill from there and we’re golden at that point. Besides, you know that I just don’t have the same personal connections to old homes as you do. Contracts for historic renovations and development projects are fine, but you know that I don’t want to spend any time on them myself - I’m too busy at the office building our future.”
“Yes, David; I’m only too aware of our different perspectives. I am glad that I was able to convince Linda to take over the entire business from me. I was ready to walk away from Gardens & More – Design Studios years ago, and this is such a wonderful opportunity for me – for us – I mean. I do so wish you could be here with me. I’ll touch base mostly by email in the coming days. I really can’t wait to see the house.”
“Susan, I’ve got to run – Jeff’s waving me into the conference room now – love ya’ honey.”
“Love you too David…”
The phone call spoke volumes to Susan, but didn’t tell her anything that she didn’t already know in her heart. She and David had been going in separate directions for years, there was no denying it. Nothing to do with each other, but it was all centered on their different perspectives concerning life. Susan had been hoping to ‘retire’ for years now to pursue her varied interests – gardening, remodeling, antique furniture restoration, period art work, historic picture frames, and really – anything old. The age of things always told a story to Susan, and she wanted to preserve the history and memories contained in antiques so they could continue to be appreciated for years to come. For Susan it was a passion, a calling; to preserve the history of houses and furnishings. Bill Schmitz knew of Susan’s connection to old things and the two of them had spent countless hours talking about their shared passion for antiques while working at the church’s Food Panty and Community Outreach Program. David couldn’t be bothered, and when he did show up to ‘punch the clock’ as he called it, it wasn’t for long and wasn’t work that he did from the heart. It was always rush, rush, rush; and then off to another meeting somewhere. That’s why they always went to charity events in separate cars, as Susan always stayed for hours talking to Bill and so enjoyed listening to his stories from the long and gracious life he had lived. Bill was the warmest person that Susan had ever met - one who could relate to old buildings, antique furniture, people, children, animals and even birds – anything really. To Bill, everything had a soul and a story that he could relate to. The birds in his garden even ate the seed from the bowl on his garden table, while he sat there quietly talking to them all the while. A simply amazing man, thought Susan; and she knew very well Bill’s intentions in giving the property to them – to insure that her hands would restore it properly – and Susan had every intention to do just that, in Bill’s honor.
The only other person that Susan knew that even approached Bill’s sensitivity to everything around him was Jeff. Even as he looked at her across the table with a knowing eye concerning Bill’s house, Susan knew they were on the exact same wavelength. In fact, they had been working together for years on all of Gardens & More – Design Studio’s legal work and contracts. Never in all of those years had they not seen eye to eye on a project. Jeff always reviewed all contracts and plans for the studio, and even went to each and every finished project to personally inspect the results afterwards. Jeff always said it was to ‘ensure that contract fulfillment had been completed’ – but Susan knew that it was really because of his passion for design and gardens, even if it wasn’t his chosen profession. Susan had known for years that Jeff was her true soul mate in life, from all of their ‘common connections’ in everything they talked about; but she had never lingered long on the thought because she had a good marriage with David. But now, more than ever before, Susan began to admit to herself that what she and David had was really a ‘marriage of convenience’ and although they had all the money they could ever need, David would never retire and would always have another excuse to make more and work more. Susan couldn’t see her ‘golden years’ slipping away while David was always working, and saw the Austrian house as a Godsend that was all that she could have ever wished for – and she hadn’t actually seen it yet. Susan relaxed her mind, and for the first time allowed Jeff to mentally enter her vision of how a future could possible turn out someday. His wife, Mary Ann, was an absolute sweetheart, and had recently passed away from cancer after a year’s long period of sickness – and Jeff had waited on her hand and foot up until the very end, never giving any consideration to his career. Now that Bill had passed on, Jeff was the sweetest man Susan knew – and that meant a lot to her as another fellow human being. If Susan knew but one thing in life, it was that there are too few ‘special people’ in this world, and whenever she came upon them, it was her intention to ‘treasure them like the rare gifts from God that they were’ – and never, ever take them for granted.
“Melissa! How wounderful to hear your voice dear! I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time, have I?”
“No dear, you could never catch me at a bad time Susan! I always love to hear your voice, you know that! Where are you? You sound so far away at the moment.”
“You’ll never believe this Melissa! I’m staying at the Romantik Hotel Markusturm, in Rothenburg, Germany! I’ve just had breakfast and I’m reading a paper, in German of course, in the garden with my coffee. I wanted to catch you at the office to tell you how proud I am of your selection to chair the “Hope For Women and Children Campaign” there in San Diego! I put a $1,000 check in the mail to you, in support of the campaign, before I flew out of Charleston two days ago. You should be seeing it any day now.”
“Thank you for your generous support of our campaign Susan, and not just this time, but for all the charities that you have given your time and resources to over the years. I fondly recall our first meeting at the ‘Friends of St. Jude’ national fundraising meeting back in 1995, and we’ve been such close and dear friends ever since. But back to you now, enough about me; I didn’t know you were vacationing in Germany, dear. Is David with you?”
“No Melissa, he’s working – as usual – and couldn’t break away to come along with me.”
“What’s the occasion then, do you have a University reunion in Munich to attend or something?”
“No, it’s different than that. A dear, old friend bequeathed to David and me a historic Austrian Farmhouse in the area of Kitzbuhel. Remember the ski vacation that we took together there about 10 years ago? What a beautiful area – the Alps are so wonderful – in every season! I flew into Frankfurt yesterday, and last night I spent it here in Rothenburg. What a romantic, beautiful place to wake up to – I so enjoy my breakfast coffee and paper on the garden terrace! Tomorrow I’ll drive the ‘Romantic Road’ down through Bavaria to Oberammergau, and spend the night at the Hotel Alte Post in Oberammergau. The next day I’ll stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the Hotel Zugspitze. I’ll take the cog railway up the mountain and have lunch at the top. I just love the ambiance at the top of the highest mountain in Germany with the year-round glacier and such splendid views of the Alpine peaks! I wish you could be here with me!”
“Of course I remember the ski trip – how could I ever forget! Susan, are you telling me that you were given an old historic Austrian farmhouse? I can’t believe it! With your talent and ability I’m sure you’ll renovate it beautifully! Will I ever get a chance to see you again? You may just spend the rest of your years in Austria, if I know you – which of course I do…and so well!”
“You do know me so well! Better than anyone, I dare say. I haven’t worked through my future plans yet – for heaven’s sake I haven’t even seen the house yet – but don’t breath a word to David. He’s already in a work frenzy these days, and I don’t want to complicate his life with additional concerns. I really don’t know what the future holds for me.”
“I can’t meet up with you any time soon though, as this campaign runs through June. Then I have the TriDelta Alumni’s ‘Summer Gathering’ back at USC in July. We’re all going up to Lake Tahoe for a weekend of TriDelta Sisterhood – to tell stories, network and just hang out together. I do so wish you could have been a TriDelta at USC with me, Susan; we would have had such fun together at school! But I was a little before your time, and you were over at Harvard and, of course, your year spent at the University in Munich. At least we were able to get to know each other through our St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital charity work, all those many years ago.”
“I’ll never forget the time I was your guest at the TriDelta ‘Family Day’ event on campus at USC, two years ago – you invited me as part of your family – and I loved attending the Trojans football game! You TriDeltas have the most beautiful Sorority house ever! It was such a wonderful weekend for me as your ‘Harvard Guest.’”
“You’re more than our ‘Harvard Guest’ – and you do know that I have the greatest respect for your alma mater, Harvard; but you’re an ‘Honorary USC TriDelta Family Member’ now – in fact - you are my family, dear. You so know that I don’t have a family of my own, and my parents have since passed away. I don’t have any siblings, so you’re the only true family that I have, dear Susan; and I will always cherish our friendship.”
“You still miss Chris, don’t you, Melissa.”
“Every day. I’ve never, not thought of him, even after these many years. Some people might think that’s irrational, and perhaps why my other relationships never really worked out in my life; but I’ve simply never found such a soul mate in the entire world again after Chris – even if it was just in second grade – and I’ve never been willing to lower my expectations. That’s why I have always been so involved in charity work, which has truly become the love of my life now.”
“Don’t give up all hope, Melissa; I’m sure something will work out for you one of these days. We’re all looking for that one true soul mate in life, philosophically speaking; that special one where we see our own reflection looking back at us when we look deep into their eyes. I hope you find that connection someday, Melissa – that’s all that we really want out of life in the end, isn’t it?”
“It is indeed, Susan. I almost forgot, after my TriDelta Alumni summer outing in July, I’d love to come see the house in Austria with you. By then you should have gotten acquainted – you know how introductions take time when planning a renovation – and then you can show me all of the discoveries that I’m sure you’ll have made between now and then.”
“I’d love to, Melissa – it’s a date. We’ll work the details as we get closer, but for your planning purposes I’m available anytime for your visit as my calendar is really open ended.”
“Ok, dear; it’s set then. My guess is that towards the end of July will work the best. Until then, keep in touch, and take good care of yourself dear. Have a wonderful adventure!”
“Thanks for your sweet words, Melissa. I can’t wait for you to join my adventure! Good bye!”
“Good bye, dear – do take care!”
Susan took a moment to gaze at the phone, without actually focusing on it; almost hoping that somehow Melissa would still be there to continue their conversation. ’We’re all looking for that one true soul mate in life’ she thought to herself, at the same time wandering in thought between Jeff and the farmhouse in Kitzbuhel. “You know how introductions take time when planning a renovation.” Was Melissa talking about the farmhouse, which was indeed a true statement; as there has to be an understanding with a property before beginning a renovation in order to get it right – the period details, the history, the intention and notion of remaining true to the memories it holds – or something else…like her? Was it an understanding that she herself was a work in progress, even as the farmhouse adventure unfolded? Had she been that obvious with her remark about Jeff? Or could it have referred to Melissa herself, undergoing her own personal renovation somehow? Just as with spring cleaning, everyone needs to take stock from time to time, throw open the windows and let the fresh air in; and after a thorough scrubbing from top to bottom, reassess where life has taken them and what direction they need to take into the future.
Finally her thoughts returned to reality, as she put her phone away in her purse and finished the last sip of lukewarm coffee. Pausing to glance one more time around at the beautiful terrace and gardens, she got up and made her way back to the hotel’s reception desk to check out and continue her adventure down the Romantic Highway. Next on the sightseeing list was the historic walled city of Dinkelsbuhl, with its towers and beautifully preserved medieval buildings. Jeff would love it here, she thought to herself – totally unaware of how she allowed Jeff into her consciousness - and how very comfortable it was for her think about him – like a dear old friend that shows up after a prolonged absence and the conversation starts up again naturally without missing a beat. Susan was indeed undergoing a renovation of sorts, and only now had she become aware of the construction that was taking place within her. She had never slowed down long enough before, to listen to her own thoughts and desires over the years. For the first time in her life she was coming to understand just who she was, and what it was that she wanted out of life…for herself, and for the love of her life.
