One day last summer my brother and I decided to go surfing. It was hurricane season and the waves were big. Overall, the weather was pretty nasty. It was rainy, foggy, dark, and gloomy, but we wouldn't let that stop us from surfing good waves.
To be honest, I don't remember what the surf was like that day. I remember being more excited about the "treasures" I'd find on the beach. You see, during hurricane season, a lot cool stuff washes ashore. I guess you can contribute it to the stormy weather that stirs everything up. Anyway, you can find all kinds of cool things like pretty shells, lots of seaweed, toilet seats, sunglasses, hermit crabs, and a ton of star fish. I love star fish. They are so cool and pretty.
Anyway, when we got to the beach, I dont think I even went in the water. I was too interested in searching for "treasures." I went down to the water's edge and started walking, looking closely for anything that was appealing. I got a few feet from where we dropped our stuff and noticed a ton of star fish!! Suhweeeeeet! I didn't want anyone else to have them so I started to collect them all! There had to be at least 50! I picked up a bunch and any that were missing legs, I left for someone else (real nice of me, right?). I literally couldn't carry all of them so I made several trips. In the end, I collected 30 something star fish.
I placed them on my surf board and decided that I couldn't keep all of them, but I wanted to show my brother what I had found before I'd throw them back in the ocean. When he got out of the water, he couldn't believe how many I had collected! He went down to find more and sure enough a bunch more had washed up. We grabbed all of them and placed them on my surf board. We couldn't believe how many there were!
As we were searching for more "treasures" a little girl and her mom came up to the beach. Keep in mind it was a terribly nasty day out and that there wasn't anyone on the beach except a few surfers and one guy walking his dog. I took notice of them because the mom was wearing scrubs. It looked like she was on her lunch break or something and was taking her daughter for a walk on the beach. The mom and daughter walked up and down the beach, but didnt go too far from the block we were on (which was where they entered the beach).
As the mom and daughter were walking, I noticed the little girl looking for 'treasures' too. She was picking up random shells. When I saw her do this, I felt bad. I knew there wasn't anything good because I had taken it all. She wasn't going to find anything special.
It wasn't long after this that the mom and daughter headed back up the beach. I wasn't standing too far away from them when they passed my surfboard full of star fish and pretty shells. I heard the little girl say, "Look Mom!! Look at all their starfish!" The mom hurried her daughter along, but the little girl wanted to get a closer look. She stopped and stood, starring, just memorized by my board. The mom hurried the little girl along again. It seemed as if the mom didn't want to get her daughter's hopes up of actually finding a star fish of her own.
The little girl followed as her mom slowly walked up to the cement wall. I thought they were leaving, but instead they sat on the wall for a bit.
At this point my brother had come back from walking the beach for more treasures. I told him what happened with the little girl and how she was checking out our star fish. Both my brother and I really felt this little girl needed a star fish. By the time we realized this, the mom and daughter were headed back down toward the water to search again. My guess is the little girl convinced her mom to give it one last try to find a star fish of her own.
My brother and I devised a plan. My brother would take one of our star fish, walk several feet in front of the little girl and her mom and drop the star fish so she could find it. So, my brother did just that. He walked toward the water, dropped the star fish several feet in front of the pair and walked back up the beach to our stuff. And you know what? The little girl and her mom walked right passed it and didn't even see it! LOL
My brother and I watched as they walked passed it. We were upset. We really wanted the little girl to have a star fish. We just felt such an urgency for her to have one. So both of us watched as her and her mom walked up the beach and onto the street. Neither of us could shake the feeling of this little girl having to have a star fish. We had to get her one.
At this point, the mom and daughter were down the street, but we still wanted her to have one. Maybe they would walk back up the beach and ask for one. Maybe the littler girl will come back and walk passed our board and I'll have an opportunity to hand her one. I contemplated running down the street after them and giving her one, but wouldn't they think I was nuts?! The more time I wasted, the further down the street they got. Eventually, I just caved.
I didn't care if they thought I was nuts. There was a reason both my brother and I felt such an urgency to give this little girl a star fish. I would never know why, but we felt like it was God telling us. So I picked up a star fish and literally booked it down the street. I mean full on ran, with no shoes. And I was just in time too. They were about to turn the corner.
"Excuse me!" I said out of breath, "Would you like a star fish?"
The mom just looked at me. The little girl took the star fish out of my hand and said something like, "oh WOW!" But the little girl faded as I starred into the mother's eyes. I will never forget it. I couldn't tell you what the little girl looked like. I could barely tell you what the mom looked like. I can't remember the cars driving passed. I can't remember the house we were standing next to. I can tell you, however, what her eyes looked like because it was crazy.
You know how they say your eyes are the windows to your heart/soul. Well if thats true then in this woman's heart was gratefulness. She was so appreciative of something so stupid. I couldn't believe it. At the same time, she looked so sad. The mom thanked me over and over like I was a sign she was looking for. It seemed like she wanted to hug me, but she resisted.
I stupidly said, "Yeah I don't know if its dead or alive, but we wanted you to have one." LOL Hahaha
She thanked me again and I walked back up on the beach and told my brother what I did. He said something that really got me thinking. He said what if that woman's husband just died and she was taking her daughter for a walk on the beach to get out of the house to take her mind off of everything. What if in her mind, all hope was lost and she was waiting for a sign, something that would give her hope. And then you gave her that starfish. Or what if the little girl was so sad and today was the day you gave her a starfish and she keeps that on her desk in her room at home as a reminder of the day things got better and life turned around for her.
Whoa, that was deep. I don't normally think like that, but my brother does. What if.....
I will never know the impact giving that little girl a star fish had on her or her mom...or if it had an impact at all. All I know is that day God moved in us. And we listened. And to this day, to this moment, it touches my heart. Just knowing how appreciative that mom was that day. They may have forgotten all about it. The star fish might be in the trash. It doesn't matter. It feels good to know I made a difference, even if it was for just a moment.
And no, I don't write this to give myself a boost because I'm not all that great or special. I write this to remind myself to listen to the voice of God even when it feels uncomfortable. If I had let my mind get the best of me, I would have never ran down the street, that little girl would have never had a star fish, and I would have never had that experience.
Who knows if I will ever see those people again. I can't even remember what they looked like. I could remember the mom if I saw her eyes though. They were like crystals. They sparkled.
I do imagine I will see them in heaven one day....
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