A Moment at the Ocean
I jumped off of the large rock and into the ocean. When I plunged into the water I felt immediate peace. I had been looking forward to this vacation for almost a year. I opened my eyes for a brief moment and saw the crystal blue water tinted by the rays of the sun. When I swam back up for fresh air, I saw a cruise ship out in the distance on the horizon. The smell of the ocean breeze and the beautiful picture that was painted around me was just enough to take your breath away. No picture could do it justice. When I dove back down underwater all my worries and stress seemed to disappear. It felt like all of my dreams were possible and that everything was okay, when, in reality, nothing felt like it was in my reach.
"Kayla!" My friend, Lisa, yelled from shore. Her daughter was playing on the edge of the water, doing an adorable dance.
My stomach felt so empty that it I thought it would start turning inside out. So I swam to shore, ready to chow down on the sandwich I had packed myself for lunch earlier that day. When I sat down on my towel, I saw Lisa, her husband, Trey, and their daughter, Zoey, all building a sand castle. Even though Zoey tried knocking it down every few minutes, the family was full of joy, and it was the journey of building the sandcastle, the love, joy, and laughter, and not the destination.
I threw my shades on to protect my eyes from the sun's blinding rays. "Lisa, do you want me to take a picture?" I offered. My husband was on a business trip to Hawaii and he told me that I could join him this time. After he told me about the trip, I had remembered that Lisa had been wanting to take a vacation and after my husband, Jack, and I discussed it I almost immediately jumped at the chance to call her and was thrilled when she said that it would work out.
"That would be wonderful!" She replied. "My camera's in my beach bag." She pointed at her blue bag that was placed underneath her fold-out chair.
While I was looking for the camera, my phone rang in my bag. I leaned over and grabbed it. "Hello?"
"Hey hon, it's me." It was Jack. He had suggested that we go to the beach and relax while he was at a business meeting. "I'm going to be even later than I thought. Something came up and I won't be done by dinner."
My heart sunk like an anchor in the deepest sea on earth. "Oh."
"I'm sorry." He sounded almost as disappointed as I was. "Don't wait up for me." Wait up for him? He would be gone that long? Well, his work was the only reason that we were in Hawaii.
"Okay." I wasn't going to nag or complain. He already had enough stress in his life from work.
"I'll see you tonight. I love you." He said in the sweet voice of his that I missed.
"I love you, too."
I heard one of his coworkers in the background yell his name. "Bye." And he hung up.
This so called "vacation" was more like a slap in the face telling me that we didn't ever get away together. Yes, Hawaii was nice—very nice—but it made me miss him even more because he was never with me. Like that morning, for example, I had wanted to have breakfast with him at the hotel's restaurant, but when I woke up that morning I found a note from him telling me that he was leaving to have breakfast with some guys at work and that he'd call me later that afternoon.
"Kayla!" Lisa yelled for the third time and snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?" She knew that I wasn't my cheerful self and she knew why. Jack was gone.
"I'll be fine." I stood up, camera in hand, and snapped a few pictures for them. I then forgot about the feelings that were dragging me down just moments before and found my goofy self again. I pretended to be an over-the-top photographer. "A few more in this direction." Tilting the camera to get the "perfect" angle. "Gorgeous," I commented, still playing this dramatic character. Trey, being the romantic guy that he is, stopped posing with little Zoey and kissed Lisa. I, being the goofball that I am, took even more pictures than before, pretending they were celebrities and they kissed in front of paparazzi. I noticed Zoey turn away and cover her eyes. She's just like her mother. Lisa and I used to do that when we were younger, too.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Zoey squealed, her cheeks red and embarrassed.
Trey pulled back, stood up, and picked up his daughter in his arms. Lisa stood up, too, following him back to the ocean. And from that moment on I promised myself that Jack and I were not going to miss out on what they had because of his work. Family and love are the most important in things in the world, and nothing was going to stop me from having it for my own.
~
This is just a little story that I wrote. Family and love really are the most important things in the world. I honestly don't know why I wrote it, just something that God put on my heart. I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to read this, you didn't have to, but you chose to. I know that it's different from everything else I've written, but there are no rules when it comes to writing. (Well there sort of is, but that doesn't matter right now). This story is not about anything I've gone through, in case you were wondering. And no, my name is not Kayla. Kayla and Jack are actually a couple from my book. He is not this busy with work in my book, the two stories aren't related in any way. I hope that God touches your heart and shows you something that you haven't seen before. God Bless You.
~The Inspired One
"Kayla!" My friend, Lisa, yelled from shore. Her daughter was playing on the edge of the water, doing an adorable dance.
My stomach felt so empty that it I thought it would start turning inside out. So I swam to shore, ready to chow down on the sandwich I had packed myself for lunch earlier that day. When I sat down on my towel, I saw Lisa, her husband, Trey, and their daughter, Zoey, all building a sand castle. Even though Zoey tried knocking it down every few minutes, the family was full of joy, and it was the journey of building the sandcastle, the love, joy, and laughter, and not the destination.
I threw my shades on to protect my eyes from the sun's blinding rays. "Lisa, do you want me to take a picture?" I offered. My husband was on a business trip to Hawaii and he told me that I could join him this time. After he told me about the trip, I had remembered that Lisa had been wanting to take a vacation and after my husband, Jack, and I discussed it I almost immediately jumped at the chance to call her and was thrilled when she said that it would work out.
"That would be wonderful!" She replied. "My camera's in my beach bag." She pointed at her blue bag that was placed underneath her fold-out chair.
While I was looking for the camera, my phone rang in my bag. I leaned over and grabbed it. "Hello?"
"Hey hon, it's me." It was Jack. He had suggested that we go to the beach and relax while he was at a business meeting. "I'm going to be even later than I thought. Something came up and I won't be done by dinner."
My heart sunk like an anchor in the deepest sea on earth. "Oh."
"I'm sorry." He sounded almost as disappointed as I was. "Don't wait up for me." Wait up for him? He would be gone that long? Well, his work was the only reason that we were in Hawaii.
"Okay." I wasn't going to nag or complain. He already had enough stress in his life from work.
"I'll see you tonight. I love you." He said in the sweet voice of his that I missed.
"I love you, too."
I heard one of his coworkers in the background yell his name. "Bye." And he hung up.
This so called "vacation" was more like a slap in the face telling me that we didn't ever get away together. Yes, Hawaii was nice—very nice—but it made me miss him even more because he was never with me. Like that morning, for example, I had wanted to have breakfast with him at the hotel's restaurant, but when I woke up that morning I found a note from him telling me that he was leaving to have breakfast with some guys at work and that he'd call me later that afternoon.
"Kayla!" Lisa yelled for the third time and snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?" She knew that I wasn't my cheerful self and she knew why. Jack was gone.
"I'll be fine." I stood up, camera in hand, and snapped a few pictures for them. I then forgot about the feelings that were dragging me down just moments before and found my goofy self again. I pretended to be an over-the-top photographer. "A few more in this direction." Tilting the camera to get the "perfect" angle. "Gorgeous," I commented, still playing this dramatic character. Trey, being the romantic guy that he is, stopped posing with little Zoey and kissed Lisa. I, being the goofball that I am, took even more pictures than before, pretending they were celebrities and they kissed in front of paparazzi. I noticed Zoey turn away and cover her eyes. She's just like her mother. Lisa and I used to do that when we were younger, too.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Zoey squealed, her cheeks red and embarrassed.
Trey pulled back, stood up, and picked up his daughter in his arms. Lisa stood up, too, following him back to the ocean. And from that moment on I promised myself that Jack and I were not going to miss out on what they had because of his work. Family and love are the most important in things in the world, and nothing was going to stop me from having it for my own.
~
This is just a little story that I wrote. Family and love really are the most important things in the world. I honestly don't know why I wrote it, just something that God put on my heart. I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to read this, you didn't have to, but you chose to. I know that it's different from everything else I've written, but there are no rules when it comes to writing. (Well there sort of is, but that doesn't matter right now). This story is not about anything I've gone through, in case you were wondering. And no, my name is not Kayla. Kayla and Jack are actually a couple from my book. He is not this busy with work in my book, the two stories aren't related in any way. I hope that God touches your heart and shows you something that you haven't seen before. God Bless You.
~The Inspired One
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