Did you miss Part I, Part II, or Part III?
The young man smiled and thanked God for one person who was willing to stop and take the time to understand. The old man laid the stick on the ground, said a few more words, and started off down the beach. The young man watched him walk off until laughter and yelling caught his attention and he turned to see three children playing catch. He realized that, for the first time, he was actually enjoying their play, not jealous of it. He felt a peace that he had not known before, and he knew the source had been in the simple, kind, and honest words whispered to him by the old man. He turned to yell to his teacher, to thank him even though he wasn’t quite sure what to thank him for.
The beach was deserted. He could see at least a mile away, but saw no one, only sand and the waves crashing upon it. The footprints! He saw them in the sand where the old man had stood and where he had walked off. Quickly, almost in a panic, he pushed the controls on the wheelchair and guided it along the path, until, after only a short distance, they stopped. Well, disappeared. How or why he didn’t know, but he did know that something very unique had happened to him on the beach that day.
He turned his chair around and drove back to where he had written in the sand. The children were gone and he sat there, alone, thanking God for sending him His peace in such a special way. Turning to go, he left his questions to be smoothed over and washed away by the rising tide. After all, they had already been answered.
