I Received a Nice Surprise in the Mail...

   Sometimes the nicest surprises arrive as forgotten promises.  This fact happened to me earlier this week.  When I picked up our mail on Wednesday there was a package from Florida addressed to me in our mailbox.  Inside was a Coke bottle with the name 'Lisa' written on it. I had bought the bottled Coke just after Lisa got home from the hospital.  It was the first time I had seen 'names' written on the bottles.  I told Lisa I wanted to fill the bottle with sand before I left for home. I am an avid collector of memories.  I have sand and shells from every beach we have visited and at least three glass bottles of ocean water from the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This bottle of sand would be special because of the name on the bottle and the memories it contained.

   We went to the ocean once while I was there. Usually we are there daily. This time it was different. The closeness of  the ocean did not matter.  Lisa wasn't up to the trip and frankly neither was Lisle or me.  It wasn't a vacation. It was a time for healing and a time for family. 

   The one time we visited the ocean was a few days before  I returned to Missouri. The excursion became  quite the adventure.  It was on a Saturday night and we were ready to get out of the house. Rain had pummeled their home off and on all day. Our original mission was to go to Sonic for milkshakes...after 8 o'clock they are half price.  That idea led to a trip down 5th Avenue where the rich go to play at night.  I have to admit the rich are indeed different...and they do know how to play.  From there we found ourselves traveling  to the beach.  The sun had set and lightning lit up sections of  the skies with vivid colors of red, pink, white and yellow. The oddest cloud caught my attention. It was white, fluffy and  huge. It stood out against the dark sky, appearing misplaced. At times it acted  as the referee between the two major storm fronts. The cloud separated the sparring contenders.  Other clouds rambled through the sky as the storms raged...still separate but strong.  They were far enough away that we could not hear the thunder or feel the rain.  We watched and tried to take photos of the lightning strikes as it tried to kiss the ocean. 

   The humidity hung in the air with a heaviness that was almost tangible.  The waves hit the sand without much urgency. It was still low tide however, the night was young and that would soon  change.  As we walked the beach we saw places marked for turtle hatching's.  Several had already hatched and the yellow tape had mostly been removed.  All three of us are passionate about sea turtles. It has been on my 'Bucket List' for years to watch the baby turtles hatch and make their way to the ocean.  Twice I came close to viewing this birth but missed it by a few days.  I missed it again this year.  However, Lisle got there early one morning and saw where they had hatched. He scooped up sand with footprints of the baby turtles as they had emerged from their nest.  He followed their trail taking one photo after the other of tiny foot prints.  He filled my' Lisa' bottle with this sand, purchased  a hematite turtle to add to the memory and mailed it to me.  It was a perfect gift.  I will treasure this forever. I have it sitting in my sun room. Every day this surprise makes me smile.  Thank you Lisle and Lisa for all the memories. Love you both more than you will ever know. Individually you both  are extraordinary people, together a wonderful team.