It's Getting Windy Out There....

I remember her at age 5....bubbly, blonde, always babbling.  She adored her mother and I treasured her.

I remember her in elementary school....bright, curious, always wanting to learn more.  She looked to me for answers and I tried to keep up with her ever expanding brain.

I remember her excitedly coming home from the first day of school and every day thereafter with stories to tell about her day.  From the very  minute she got there to the bus ride home she absorbed it all like the little sponge she was, always eager to share each of those moments with me.  She delighted me, enchanted me, filled me with joy that God had blessed me with her very existence. 

I remember her in my heart...the love, the bond we always shared to the exclusion of anyone else, my pride in her accomplishments, looking towards the future and knowing that it was wide open to anything she reached for, anything she desired, anything at all.  

Sometimes, while skipping down that yellow brick road, a choice must be made.   Whether it's a conscious decision or not, a choice is made to take the scenic route instead of the path that's been thought and dreamed about for years.  Sometimes.....that's just what happens in life.  The bubbly little girl takes a few wrong turns, maybe gets lost in the brambles, weeds and overgrown forest and eventually, thankfully, is found again.  As she once again purposefully marches down the chosen path towards her goals, dreams and her bright, bright future, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpses a flower filled meadow and decides to take just a minute, only the briefest of moments to lie down to rest amidst the blooms.  As the sun shines brightly. gentle breezes soothing her soul, the flowers' glorious scents intermingle bringing joy that begs to be shared with another.  As they romp and play within their private playground, they fail to see the first little black rain cloud heading their way, ignore the quickening of the wind, it's voice engulfing them, swirling amongst them....trying and ever trying to warn them of the coming storm.