At the End of the Parade

So often in my life, I have expected a big brassy fanfare or an elegant display of light to precede big spiritual moments. When I find myself waiting for the fanfare, I’m reminded of a time from my teen years.

I grew up in a small town about sixty miles outside of Chicago, where the suburbs halt and give way to the cornfields. Although my high school was quite small, our marching band was quite good and quite a bit larger than one would expect.

One year, our band was invited to march in the famous Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was freezing that day. But even with the cold and long time waiting in line, we were all entering a new chapter in our lives. Many of us had never been to Chicago before. Few had witnessed such a huge community of spectators. For sure none of us had seen so many bagpipes at one time before.

We felt so good that day! The notes from our instruments expanded in a regal way as they bounced from skyscraper to skyscraper. And in these last 40 years thinking about that day, I don’t recall our marching band ever looking or sounding so good.

So where am I going with this? We won first place out of over 50 marching bands in the parade. And because no one had ever heard of our small town, we were lined up near the back of the parade. We didn’t even make it on the three hours of TV coverage. We surprised everyone that year. None of us cared about the recognition. We each knew the experience was perfect just for us.

Throughout my life, spiritual mo

ments of any magnitude came in like this. The fanfare was of a different type and always took me by surprise. It was never what I expected. Sometimes it would touch a different place in my life than I envisioned. Most of the time, these moments of magnitude come quietly at the end of the parade. But without exception, each time that I am gifted with a real connection to Spirit, to Source, to the Universe, I am amazed at its perfection.

~ by Patty Ferris – Public Speaker www.pattyferris.com
Level III Teacher and Spiritual Counselor with Training in Power Academy