Love seen

Have you ever happened upon something,
something so precious,
something so indescribably beautiful,
something so breathtakingly,
awe-inspiring that you felt as though you shouldn’t be seeing it?

That this moment was something so unique and so exquisite your presence there didn’t belong?
That you were intruding?

I happened upon such a moment while waiting in a drive thru.

I was in a hurry. Isn’t that most usually the case whenever one finds his or her self in a drive thru line? Tapping my fingers on the steering wheel in an effort to “move things along”, I happened to glance to my right. That’s when I saw it.

Love in the parking lot.

No, my eyes didn’t catch a teenage couple getting a little too friendly. And no, I didn’t gaze upon an elderly couple holding hands, still showing the sparks of romance after all these years. My eyes happened upon an elderly lady and who I assumed to be her daughter, dancing their way across the expanse of the parking lot.

Like poetry in motion, their feet slowly shuffled to the beat of the love between their hearts.
Step by step, motion by motion, move by move, these two were in sync.
If was obvious they had danced before.
In fact, dance was most likely their main mode of transportation.

The elderly lady, who no doubt had walked many a mile over her lifetime, could no longer walk on her own.  The passing of time had stolen her independence, her strength, her balance, her dignity. Now, arms that once carried children and hands that gently wiped away tears were wound tightly around another. The one who had been carried now carried them both.

The mother rested the weight of her body on the daughter, heart to heart; their bodies pressed together in a oneness that proved they had been waltzing for many years. Like two lovers gliding across a ballroom floor, this mother and daughter elegantly and oh so, slowly, made their way to across the asphalt.

As I watched, time stood still.
I was mesmerized by their movement.
I was captured by their grace.
I was challenged by their synchronized sway and two feet,
purposefully and yet, naturally moving as one.

As I watched, my heart was drawn to the Lover of my Soul, Jesus.

I could hear His invitation to dance.
I could see His outstretched, nail-scarred hand.
I could feel the strength of His heart as I began to lay the weight of my life,
the weight of me, the weight of my own heart on his.
I could taste the freedom of release as I let go and surrendered to His leading.
I could smell the fragrance of grace as we became one,
heart to heart,
dancing in unison across the span of life and on into eternity….


A honk from the car behind me jolted me back to reality,
back to the errands at hand,
back to life.

The younger lady turned her head in my direction and quickly I turned away,
hoping she hadn’t seen me seeing the two of them, staring, with tears in my eyes.

As I paid for my order and waited for change, I stole one more glance over my shoulder.

As I drove away, I knew I would never be the same.

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