The sun casts the street grid golden, framing my daughter’s face like a holy epiphany. In an instant, God convinces me—I see her with newfound eyes.
The band performs its final set and we collapse our weary bones into plastic lounge chairs. Underneath the canopy of trees fireflies perform a luminescent dance of their own.
We take in the night, knowing it’ll be one of our brightest memories.
Early the next morning, I make the half-mile trek to Gulf Beach on my own. I watch as a lone, sinewy fisherman baits his pole with tackle.
I stride the ledge where sand meets surf to surrender my daughter’s future and protection to God. Because providence alone will determine her path. This young lady is a beautiful bird, eager for flight.
I know if I don’t anchor deeply into the heart of God, her soon-to-be empty bedroom will feel like a hole to the heart.
What if the nudge of loneliness kneading my soul is an opportune moment of sorts? A chance to re-discover a new path, even as I walk through the beginnings of mid-life?
God’s voice is gentle as wind, “You shall no longer be termed Forsake, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, (Isaiah 62:4, ESV).
And What if Greater Glories Exist for Me Just the Same?
So I’ll relish the days of summer with my daughter now…
because our joy-filled moments will evaporate faster than saltwater on skin.
***
This article originally appeared at JessicaGalan.net.
