Magic on the beach

A bit more about this vacation with my sisters...

After our parents' passing -- Mom unexpectedly in 2007, and Dad a year later on her birthday (!) in 2008 -- we made the vow to get together once a year and treat ourselves to a spa weekend. Turns out we've been doing it twice a year, and loving it as an opportunity to reconnect. We live at a distance from each other -- me in Washington state, middle sister in Northern California, and oldest sister in rural Connecticut -- so fully value the time we can spend together.

My middle sister and I took a walk on the beach this afternoon. At one point, Lani said, "I sure miss Mom," and we talked for a bit about how that missing her continues, even though the extreme grief and shock we felt at her passing has softened.

We walked on for a few minutes in silence -- and then, there in the sand, we came across where someone had written, "I love Mom." A few steps later, another written message: "I love Dad." Lani and I hung together, touched by the synchronicity of our seeing these messages right after having talked about how much we were missing our parents...

And then, a few steps later, a message written in Spanish, that I translated out loud to Lani: "Happy Birthday Mom! We love you and we miss you."

Magic on the beach. Just wanted to share.