This afternoon at the beach, I saw a little girl. She
teetered and toddled and made her way across the gravel and rocks determined to
reach the water. And when she finally fell, her father scooped her up and had
her back on her feet before she realized her little world had tipped. Her tiny
hand now firmly grasping his, she made her way to water’s edge where she
splashed and threw rocks without a care. The whole scene, which occupied my
view for only a moment, took me back to a time and place where my own daughter’s
teetered and toddled across the gravely beaches of Puget Sound. It seems like
yesterday. It seems like a lifetime ago.
Life moves forward; unrelenting time advances, marked by
success, failure and a growing sense of finality. Where my daughter’s once
tread, I watch my grandchildren throw stones and play in the waters of the Puget Sound ; the same waters where I played as a child.
It all seems so circular. I wonder what thoughts granddad had as I played on
the beach at Admiral’s Cove. If I could see in time, I’m certain I’d see my
grandfather on these same shores; skipping stones and taking in the sun without
a care.
This evening as the last light slips from view, I can’t help
but wonder. What of the choices I’ve made: the roads taken, opportunities lost
and the glories never to be regained. What will tomorrow bring? That’s the
wonder of life. We ponder. We plan. We try to conceive of every imaginable
scenario, and in the end, life is in the moment. We breath, we live and life is
a new day.
Good night.
