The Encounter at the Shore

She was walking along the seashore, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand. Picking up seashells that struck her eye as she walked, lost in her thoughts about the past year. She had lost one that she loved dearly and the pain was still there. Some days surfacing more than others.  Some days she felt on top of things while other days she wasn’t sure how she made it through, as the days passed by in a blur.

The beach was quiet now. The wind was blowing and it was a little cool to be out, but she liked the peacefulness of having no one else around. Wait, who was that? She saw someone walking towards her. How could that be? Seemed like he had just appeared out of nowhere.

As he got closer she felt a strong sense of peace.  It was a man coming towards her, but she felt no fear, only warmth circling around her heart. The man’s eyes were as if he could see straight through her, but it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.  He didn’t say a word, they just continued walking, now side by side.

After awhile she broke the silence as tears fell down her cheeks. Her pain and worries about the future spilled out of her mouth.  In his presence she felt drawn to share from her heart.  To share from her heart with a man that she had not ever remembered meeting, but yet at the same time felt like she had known him forever.

He listened to her as the waves crashed against the shore.  He reached up and tenderly wiped her tears away,  which then were followed by more as she laid her weary head against his chest. She felt his arm around her and for the moment it was as if all her sadness was washed away with the waves.

She wiped her eyes and held up her head meeting his eyes and feeling the compassion shine out from them .  They stood facing the ocean listening to the waves roar.  She felt a strength swell up inside of her. Her spirit felt strong once more as her and the stranger turned and walked again along the shore.

She spotted the prettiest seashell yet. A beautiful shade of purple and it was almost heart shaped, definitely a unique shell. She picked it up and turned to show to the man, but where did he go?  She looked all around  but no one did she see.

Where was he?  A strange sensation began to come over her as she looked again from where they had come. Why was there only one set of footprints in the sand?

She then remembered the warm feeling that had wrapped itself around her heart when she met him. She remembered the glimpse she had caught of his hand when he wiped away her tears. Her heart was full, there were no words to describe what her mind knew.  She turned towards the ocean and let the waves speak.