photo by Highlander.
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I turned off the bedroom light and wondered what the next day would bring me. Tomorrow, I will be 75 years young and I just can't imagine what God would have in store for me on my birthday.
Tomorrow has become today and I'm awakened with the sunlight shining on my face. I sense God's presence. "Good morning, Lord.", I say; and I can feel in my bones that today is a precious day.
Once dressed and warmthed by my morning coffee, I feel strangely led to take a walk. I know that God is holding my hand and leading my way; for my bones are tired and muscles weak. I let Him lead me.
As I approach the park, my eyes suddenly become perfectly aware of this sweet lonely little bench. The sunlight is beginning to warm it's sides and it looks so inviting. I decide that it must be a perfect invitation to rest.
I sit there, on the little bench and watch all of the young children running around in the park. I see the younger women walking their puppies and others loving their babies. I see the old feeding the birds and friends walking together. Just as I begin to feel alone, God speaks to my heart. He tells me to wait.
I begin asking Him why? What is there to wait here for? "What are you up to, I ask?" Suddenly, He interrupts and I feel this touch on my shoulder. I turn around to see this frail older woman standing behind me with a gentle smile on her face. I look into her eyes and catch a glimpse of someone familiar. Who could this stranger be; with her hand so warmly resting on my shoulder?
Then she speaks and I know. It's my friend whom I haven't seen in nearly 50 years. The one that I've always prayed for and wondered about. Where did she go? What did life bring to her? Was she still walking with God these so many years later?
In that moment, God opened my heart and spoke ever so softly to me...."Happy Birthday, My Child."
~ Simply Heather
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I turned off the bedroom light and wondered what the next day would bring me. Tomorrow, I will be 75 years young and I just can't imagine what God would have in store for me on my birthday.
Tomorrow has become today and I'm awakened with the sunlight shining on my face. I sense God's presence. "Good morning, Lord.", I say; and I can feel in my bones that today is a precious day.
Once dressed and warmthed by my morning coffee, I feel strangely led to take a walk. I know that God is holding my hand and leading my way; for my bones are tired and muscles weak. I let Him lead me.
As I approach the park, my eyes suddenly become perfectly aware of this sweet lonely little bench. The sunlight is beginning to warm it's sides and it looks so inviting. I decide that it must be a perfect invitation to rest.
I sit there, on the little bench and watch all of the young children running around in the park. I see the younger women walking their puppies and others loving their babies. I see the old feeding the birds and friends walking together. Just as I begin to feel alone, God speaks to my heart. He tells me to wait.
I begin asking Him why? What is there to wait here for? "What are you up to, I ask?" Suddenly, He interrupts and I feel this touch on my shoulder. I turn around to see this frail older woman standing behind me with a gentle smile on her face. I look into her eyes and catch a glimpse of someone familiar. Who could this stranger be; with her hand so warmly resting on my shoulder?
Then she speaks and I know. It's my friend whom I haven't seen in nearly 50 years. The one that I've always prayed for and wondered about. Where did she go? What did life bring to her? Was she still walking with God these so many years later?
In that moment, God opened my heart and spoke ever so softly to me...."Happy Birthday, My Child."
Somehow, I always knew this day might come. Today I am meeting my brother, whom I have not seen in almost 30 years. Years have past quickly since the grudge that began on my wedding day. I refused to forgive him, no matter how he tried to apologize. After a few years, he stopped trying and we drifted apart. We have not spoken.
It's been two months since my wife's passing and I called my brother last Monday. It was an uncomfortable moment for both of us, but we got through it. We decided to meet this morning at the park, close to where we grew up.
I feel nervous. I am not sure what to say. My heart is pounding as I drive up to the parking lot. It's a cool autumn day, leaves blowing around. I see a bench and I sit and wait.
I am feeling very sweaty and clammy. I wonder how he looks after all these years. I look at my watch. It's 8:30 am. I am early. We agreed on 9:00. I couldn't stay in the house, as I kept pacing around, so I came here early.
I hear kids playing, a couple of dogs roaming around. I think about how odd I must look, a 67 year old man just sitting alone. It's an uncomfortable feeling.
I look again at my watch, it's 8:32. Time is crawling. I hear a car door and look. A mother and two children get out.
What if he doesn't show up? How long after 9 should I wait? What do I expect from this meeting? The past flashes in front of my eyes as I sit and wonder.
8:33. Jesus, I have to stop looking at my watch.
I'll just sit here and wait.
Hello from "That's My Answer". This is a great idea for a writing prompt!
I ca use some of these pictures to write something. Thanks for following my blog. I'll link to yours when I post something inspired from here.
Take care!
This is a wonderful and inspiring idea. I stumbled upon you and have marked myself as a follower. I look forward to seeing what prompts you have to come. :)
I picture myself a few years down the road. Not many. I've never been able to picture myself as an old woman. I'm only about thirty-five and I do not walk alone. Keith walks by my side and we are holding hands. In front of us, run two small children a boy and girl. For some reason, I've always felt I'd have one of each and more precisely twins.
We are approaching the bench waving to those waiting on us. There are too many to be able to sit. I see many friends that I won't name for the sake of leaving out someone or hurting their feelings. I see their children running and playing, as ours go to join in with them. I see the various supplies we have packed for the day. Picnic baskets, blankets to spread, a football, and other various forms of entertainment. I am of course equipped with a camera around my neck prepared to capture all the memories of the day. It feels like the perfect day.
I thought Maria would be here by now. She promised she’d meet me here, then, after we caught our breath and rested a minute, we’d go pick up our groceries together. It’s always safe going together. The young punks in the neighborhood aren’t as likely to attack if there’s two of us. But, I don’t see her anyway. Wonder if something happened. Oh, that would be bad. Maria’s almost the only friend I have left in the world. Everybody else has gone. That’s the price of getting old…of living too long. I’m nearly 100. Been walking down this sidewalk a mighty long time. More than fifty years now. At first it was pushing the baby pram with little Sammy inside, looking so cute in his little outfits. Later, he and I would bring his tricycle, then his two-wheeler down from the apartment over on Montgomery Street. He’d ride and ride and I’d read and read. Sammy grew up here in the park. We’d come here after school, after he did his homework and before George got home from work, wanting his supper laid on right away. George worked hard, down under the city streets most of the time, fixing power lines and the city steam heat system. Once he got burned real…oh, good, here comes Maria now. I was getting a little worried.
The park was our escape when we worked together, escaping the moment we could to sit on the grass and have lunch , my jacket doubling as a blanket for her to sit on, me, I took the grass, pretending it was fine, its only dirt. "You know, we could take the bench" I'd say, and she'd smile and lie back on my coat, unbelievably cute in the sun, unbelievably unobtainable to me.
Nothing lasts and our jobs grew old as we did, and then our jobs were new and apart, we were just older. Older people who met less, and took the bench. "We're 35" I'd shriek in mock outrage, "and already we're meeting on park benches" and she'd smile and lean against me and I'd pretend to scold as she sneaked bread to the pigeons.
I told her once, no matter what happens, that she is the person I'd like to meet on a bench in my 70s. If I'm married with kids and she is too, if we're on other sides of the world, she's the one I'd fly back for, just for an afternoon on the bench. I don’t remember what she said, probably just laughed and told me to not be silly.
70 didn’t happen, I know why she felt she had to go, you can’t just live because other people will miss you, other people love you. I know that. I know that flying back wouldn’t have stopped her, I know that to blame myself is a conceit I don’t deserve - but it gives me something to focus on.
I know I'm not going to sit on the bench today.
I'm meeting the special guy, in those days, the special man (I figure we could already be old people). The one I'm in love with, the one that has been my husband, soul mate and companion for so many years. The one who always makes me sigh, the one I would do or undo everything for.
The only one I need.
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