It was a moment that I will never forget and still leaves me deeply touched
days later.
A moment where I saw love brilliantly displayed.
Love with its shirt sleeves pushed up.
A strong love that shone brightly on an ordinary afternoon at the beach.
My girls and I had been sitting on a bench looking out at the ocean
soaking up the last few hours of our time at the beach
when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small grey haired woman in a wheelchair
and what might have been her granddaughter pushing her. I’ll never know.
They parked right beside us.
My oldest nudged me and I glanced again.
Such a beautiful sight.
One that we were very familiar with.
Time after time I had pushed Nana in her wheelchair
around the park to see the flowers
in and out of restaurants and churches.
Precious memories. How I miss those days. How I’d give anything for one more.
Tears pushed behind my eyes and I looked again at my daughters.
My eyes met theirs.
Slowly I felt a tear trickle down my right cheek.
It’s hard work to push that chair,
to lift it in and out, in and out of the car
but when you love
the burden is easy
the load is light.
My daughters shared those wonderful outings with Nana too.
They also miss her more than words can language.
We watched as the younger woman stooped beside the chair
and spoke softly to the elderly lady.
My heart beat with joy that they were experience what had meant so much to me
to all of us.
“Maybe we can share something with them,” I whispered scanning our recent purchases.
“How about the pretzels?”
My eyes fell on the small bag we had gotten only a few minutes before at the candy store.
It was our last visit there and we were getting a few things to remember.
Two chocolate covered pretzels, we had said to the gal behind the counter.
A rare treat for us. Something we could enjoy later.
But now as I looked at the small white bag
my heart spoke in words above the sound of the ocean.
Both girls nodded. Perfect.
I reached for the bag, brushed a few tears from my face and rose to my feet wondering what in the world I would say. There really were no words.
“I saw…my girls and I watched you both enjoying this lovely afternoon
and we are deeply moved that you can be together
yes you can share today together”
The wrinkled older woman looked at me with twinkly eyes and I thought my heart would burst with joy
“so we want you both to enjoy this and to have a wonderful day.”
I handed the white bag to the younger woman who smiled back at me
and then we went on our way down the street.
That was all.
A flood of tears followed.
Sweet tears remembering yesterday
Happy tears to glimpse another picture of love today.
Powerful feelings. Love is so unbelievably strong.
Love is something you do
One day after another
Never counting the cost.
Listening to your heart and pouring it out in whatever way you can.
And Love is eternal. It lasts and lasts and lasts.
I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.
Never be able to see another chocolate covered pretzel without remembering.
Do all the good you can
in every way you can
for as long as you can.
And in the doing your heart too will be filled and your life will shine brightly.
Sharon, your writings always touch my heart. You have such a gift with words and how to glue them together into sentences that make a difference.
You’ve left me with a challenge today, too. Get my eyes onto others and do something – anything – to make a difference in their day.
I’m so glad you and your girls got to experience this together. Times like that are sacred, don’t you think?
Yes, it was a holy moment that we will talk about years from now. You are so right, it takes so little to make a big difference in someone’s day. I’m with you on this, Bonnie.
Thanks for sharing this precious moment….. Take Care and God Bless 🙂 Kenny T
And thank you for your comments.