Together

I am walking on the sand between the green rolling hills and the crashing surf. 

The sun is illuminating the land with its first rays of morning hope. 

The Pacific is darkened by an offshore storm, a coal dust horizon punctuated by spider flashes of light. 

I walk in straight steps, leaning toward the land, but aware of the sea. 

Ever aware of the approaching storm. 

The number of dry steps that I have is known only by God who keeps his own counsel. But I take them one by one, occasionally glancing at the illuminated morning sky. 

Though dreading the future, I feel the presence of a multitude taking the same walk. They pat my back. They hold my hand. They feed me. 

Though they are behind me, they reflect the Sun and light my way. 

I carry in my arms the innocent who didn’t ask for this journey but was given life by love. Born into love. An incubator for love in two families. 

The nurture and care of the innocent is the ultimate testament to love. 

The distance matters not.  

As the storm inches toward the land, we hold each other more tightly. 

And we remember as we walk: 

If we want to go fast, we go alone. 

If we want to go far, we go together. * 

*African proverb