relect..live..reflect..laugh..reflect..love

I am at the beach..
Last night both of my sisters
were here.
Tonight just my youngest.
This is a first for us..
we are a close family
but tend to be together as a group.
We are learning to take these times
alone.

I have spent several moments
of my time here
walking on the beach..
sometimes alone,
and sometimes in the company of my sisters.

My youngest sister does not talk much..
she walks and collects shells,
leaving me to my thoughts.

At the beach there are so many!
Every footprint I make in the sand
holds memories and hurts,
smiles and laughter.
The footprints reach straight from the ground
and leave imprints on my heart.

I have spent summers at the beach..
all my life.
as a child..
as a newlywed..
as a new mother...
as a broken hearted wife..
as a more seasoned mom..
and now as a content,
although slightly harried,
single woman.

If the shells could speak...
what they might share!

As I look back
I will always remember!
Life passes so quickly!
The good and the bad.
There was moments I wish I could have back.
There are moments I wish I could erase.
There are moments that made me stronger.
and moments that brought me to my knees!

Somehow it now has become
just a part of who I am.
I still reflect and remember,
but it does not hurt like it did.
And as I reflect on the now,
there is much I could do...
much I could be..
much more I hope to become.

But, overall the feeling in the air around me,
the way the wind swirls around my head,
and the ocean moves beneath my feet...
all add to the central state of being
that is mine;
and that feeling is contentment!!

Much to come!
Much to do!
BUT so much to just live thankfully within!