The shadows became long as the sun sank into the waves on the distant horizon. Candles flickered, chairs were stacked, and the last dinner was divine as the moon lit a lamp in the warm Winter sky. Across the table, with the ocean behind him, Gerald relaxed leaning slightly backward to catch the breeze that circled over him on its way across the beach. I love the color of my husband’s eyes. They remind me of intoxicating sea breezes and deep tropical pools. I am completely mesmerized.

As the waves come and go, the hypnotic rhythm clears the mind of faraway thoughts and personal loss. Contentment seeps in bringing appreciation of time standing still. I stare and stare, my mind totally blank in musing. “Do we really have to leave?”, I finally whisper. “It’ll be alright”, he assures me nodding his head. “You have me at your side.” Blinking back a tear, with a sigh of relief, I realize that thought alone puts me mentally at rest. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt this unencumbered. The water has apparently washed away the weight of losing my father. Feeling his love by letting go along with basking in the love of my husband brings tranquility to the soul. Rest in peace, my dear father.