I Wanted Time to Stand Still but the Tide was Changing…
My granddaughter sat on my lap upon arriving at our Cape Cod vacation house. Belle is just seven days shy of a year. I discovered a soft swirl of fine baby hair on the crown of her head. A cowlick passed down from her mother. A genetic link to her grandmother. A great grandfather who battled the same swirl. My father smiled down upon us. My heart was full.
I stole a moment and walked towards the beach late one afternoon during our stay. Time spent by the ocean felt wonderfully renewing. I found my way down the short path while carrying a chair in my right hand. Brightly colored beach towels under my left arm. The day’s heat had lessened and was replaced by a cool refreshing ocean breeze. Strands of hair dance across my face as I breathed in the beauty and the quiet. The tide was rushing in, yet I felt no hurry. The quickly vanishing sandbars had been populated by the many seagulls. Squawks and cries floated up while the sun began to lower. Light tripped over the Atlantic Ocean creating a sparkle that could never be duplicated by this artist’s brush…
The beach houses along the coast were naturally highlighted. Modest properties boosted a certain magnificence. A seawall with large boulders in shades of raw umber and gray provided a resting spot for Black Sea Birds as they dried their wings. Basking in the warm natural glow…
The beach momentarily to myself. The many photographs taken to remember the beauty I had witnessed. Inspirations for paintings I hope to render. All stored on my phone and in my heart. I wanted time to stand still but the tide was changing…
My husband, son-in-law and granddaughter were first to join me on the beach and my daughter soon after. We settled in on blankets waiting for the sun to set with the expanse of the ocean before us. The familiar voices of my small family washed over me like the incoming tide. Easy chatter, laughter, and Belle’s squeals of delight as she dipped her toes into the ocean. The weight of the real world seemed fathoms away…
“Time and tide wait for no man.” Geoffrey Chaucer
