Beach Prayer

It's been a while since my last post. Guess I've been in a bit of a writing funk, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things.

Yesterday The Captain and I took the girls to the beach. The Big One loves to go to the beach...actually we all do.

The Big One

The Little One

The Captain and The Big One playing in the surf

I love the beach for two reasons:

 1. I love that the sound of the surf is so relaxing and usually drowns out all other sounds around you. I could sit in a chair on the beach for hours with my eyes closed, just listening to the waves crash on the shore.

2. It is a great place to people watch. In the time it takes for them to pass by, I try to figure out their "story". I see the boogie boarders trying to impress the cute young girls sitting on the beach and the families dippping their little one's toes in the water for the first time. I look for the untanned bodies, cameras in hand, posing with friends or family snapping photos to document their vacation. The couples nicely dressed, having an after dinner beach walk, some with the nervousness of a first date, others walking hand in hand... comfortable after years together, seeking the perfect spot to enjoy the sunset.

The Big One tends to draw a lot of attention to us with her squeals of delight as she runs in and out of the water.  So, it was not unusual when I spotted a woman talking with The Captain and The Big One while they were playing in the sand. I heard the Captain tell the woman to have a good evening and as she walked toward me she replied "It's going to be a long one."

She walked over to me, sitting in my beach chair, The Little One in my arms, and smiled. "Enjoy the evening with your family- what's left of it."

"Thank you. You do the same." was my reply.

She stood there for a moment looking at us. "Pray for me tonight. I have Alzheimer's, and it is so hard" she said to me. "Please if you could pray for me tonight. Pray for Carol."

And before I could reply she turned and walked away. And right then I prayed for her. And then I thought that I would do one better and write this post and have others pray for her as well. I turned around and quickly snapped this photo of Carol. That is Carol, in the purple shirt walking away.

I'm not sure why, but she has been on my mind since I took this photo. Maybe it was because she appeared so young. Maybe because I can't imagine the fear she feels every day knowing that one day she will no longer be able to remember. One day she will be unable to recognize those closest to her. One day, she will be unable to recognize herself. Maybe it's because for some reason she reached out to me, something spoke to her heart and she asked me to pray for her. Before I went to bed last night I prayed for Carol. I prayed for her family. I hope you will do the same.