We had a very brief visit with my sister-in-law, Karen, and niece, Melissa, yesterday. It was wonderful to see them, especially Melissa. She lives and works on Whidbey Island in Washington state, so we don't see her nearly as much as we'd like. Yesterday was her last day in Raleigh, and although we stressed to her that she shouldn't feel any obligation to try to see us this time, she (and her mom) insisted. They ended up driving almost six hours total (round trip) to spend only three hours at our house! Melissa's flight home was at 6am this morning so they couldn't stay any longer than that. Gregg and I were both touched that she made such an effort for us.
Melissa works as an environmental legal expert for Whidbey Camano Land Trust, which is kind of her dream job. She stays in a beautiful little cabin on the island that looks like something from a fairy tale, and spends most of her free time outdoors, hiking and swimming and backpacking and having adventures. Karen made her tell us a story about an experience she had earlier this year that I wanted to share here.
So, one day back in the spring Melissa was out paddle boarding in the ocean with a friend. They were about 30 or 40 yards offshore, not very far, but the tide was high. A bunch of seals were swimming around them, which she said was cool because they're friendly and harmless. But then, all of a sudden, the seals disappeared and everything got really still. It seemed strange.
Just when she was starting to wonder why things felt so strange and why the seals disappeared......an orca whale swam up beside her! It was up at the surface, not breaching but with its uppermost parts sticking out of the water, and it was less than 10 feet from her! Can you imagine?
Of course, being Melissa, she said she stayed calm and watched it until it disappeared beneath the waves. She said she didn't really feel nervous (until after it was over) and just watched in awe as the giant swam beside her. Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone.
This will be a cherished memory for her for the rest of her life. As for me, I think I'd have had a heart attack on the spot!
4 comments:
Jennifer that's such a funny, sweet photo of Melissa with your boys and WOW on that story! Your title is funny but I totally believe it of course, just amazing. This young woman certainly sounds like she's got her act together! PS. I went back to 2010 on here and read that list of 30 things about yourself. It was funny and interesting. ☺️
Doug, this isn't a great photo of Melissa. She's actually beautiful, and I'm not just saying that because I love her! She just glows with good health (and youth), you know? And she's incredibly smart--a law school graduate who passed the bar exam way up in the 99th percentile. Best of all, she's kind and decent.
Jennifer that's most impressive! She sounds like a real winner in life, no wonder you're so proud of her. 🙂
We think of Orcas as being kind gentle creatures, but they do overturn quite big boats (and paddleboards). I would say she was lucky!
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