Divine Timing

The late summer breeze felt brisk with hints of autumn.  Blowing across the water, it gently tossed her ponytail back and forth behind her. The sun was a deep orange glow, illuminating her chestnut hair with copper highlights as it reflected on the river like fire on water.

She walked along the river trail, taking pictures of tiny wildflower blossoms thriving along the coastline.  Perfect miniature blooms set against the backdrop of gray river rocks, shimmering water and the dramatic pastel colors of a sky approaching sunset.

She loved to linger in this place, once her walk around the river path was complete. Two laps minimum, rain or shine, was the daily goal.

The picturesque trail was beautiful. Set in a quiet riverside neighborhood, it wrapped around the local park and continued in an oval, circling wide-open land along the Delaware river coastline with a side path veering off to a secluded edge overlooking a peaceful cove.

Her favorite bench overlooked the cove, which was a wonderful place to observe sunsets and nature. Blue herons sometimes took refuge there, standing in the shallow waters with quiet elegance. Ducks swam in a row, turning into the calm inlet, floating peacefully. The occasional eagle could be spotted, flying out over the water, circling and soaring before returning to the highest treetops along the coast.

The path was more than exercise for her.  It had become a sacred place of reflection and healing after a painful breakup. She came here to think, to cry, to sweat it out and walk it off... To find herself again after the shock of deception and betrayal had left her reeling. The river was her place of peace while quietly rebuilding her dignity, focus and life.

In the past three years, she’d always walked alone. There were familiar people walking their dogs, pushing their strollers or jogging past, but she preferred solitude, much like a particular gentleman who always seemed to be there.

He was also a daily walker, rain or shine.  They had crossed paths countless times in pouring rain, howling winds or frigid flurries as the only two people crazy enough to be outside. His eyes were usually looking out over the water to a point in the distance, deep in thought.  They never once spoke, just a friendly nod here and there, nothing more.

In the last two weeks, she found herself becoming deeply aware of his presence. Instead of walking past him, immersed in her own thoughts, she began to wonder about his name, where he lived and what thoughts ran through his mind as he circled the path with that serious, faraway look in his eyes.

Was there someone waiting for him at home?

After three years of having their paths cross regularly, did he ever notice her as more than just a passing familiar face? Did he ever feel tempted to say hello?

His energy radiated quiet strength, his features reminiscent of the “handsome, trustworthy guy next door” in a Hallmark movie. He had brown hair and a beard that he kept short and trim in summer but grew out in the winter.  She liked it very much, either way.

Sitting on her favorite bench waiting for sunset, she observed him in the distance.  She knew his silhouette, his stride, the way he looked out over the water intently.  Seeing him gave her a sense of comfort and peace. He was as much a part of this sacred place as the majestic trees, the gentle breeze, or the river currents, sparkling like diamonds in the golden light of the setting sun. His very existence had become something meaningful over the past three years, which was a feeling that both confused and delighted her.

He stopped at a halfway point to stretch, then dropped down to do ten flawless pushups on the side of the path.

There were countless times she walked past him, interested only in politely steering clear to avoid interrupting his set, but tonight was very different.

She watched quietly from her bench and almost forgot to breathe as his body descended and rose with an effortless, smooth, controlled rhythm, sunlight glistening across sweaty shoulders and muscular arms. He finished the set, stretched once more and continued towards her on the path.

Despite her best efforts to look nonchalant, her pulse quickened with desire for something more than a friendly nod.  It wasn’t just attraction or chemistry taking hold, it was something unlocking deep within, her heart space opening for the first time in three years, daring to seek connection with the man she already felt strangely tied to.

* * * * *

He saw her on the bench in the distance.

She was always there, it seemed...  The woman who walked in every weather known to man except lightning storms.  He knew this, only because he lived in a house overlooking the riverfront park. He’d gazed out over the water from his kitchen window during many storms, almost expecting to see her battling winds amid black clouds, jagged, branching bolts of lightning and crashing thunder, to complete her laps and sit on the bench she seemed to favor.

They had crossed paths before in sweltering summer heat waves, spring showers and pouring, pelting rains of an autumn nor’easter.  He’d seen her on winter days so frigid, the river was frozen, and she was heavily bundled, eyes barely showing between hat, coat, scarf and hood. But he knew it was her every time, the only two people walking in such conditions.  He knew her figure, her pace, the way she stared out over the water as if searching for something, her shy, polite nod as they passed by one another.

He'd been living there for over three years now, post-divorce, trying to rebuild a life after painful betrayal. A little waterfront home in the quiet, historic village seemed like a good place to find a new start.  A place to find peace and regain focus on himself and his future.

Daily walks along the scenic Delaware river path quickly became a habit to clear his mind of the painful thoughts and questions that lingered after the crash and burn of his marriage.

He tried making his new life all about work, fitness, the house, the yard, the truck... carefully avoiding anything to do with his heart for three solid years. But in the last two weeks, he found himself surprisingly more aware of the woman’s presence. What was her name? What color were her eyes?  Did she live nearby?

Happy couples were regularly seen holding hands and walking together along the river path. But as far back as he could remember, she was always alone. Was she single or did she have someone in her life that simply didn’t care about sharing this place with her?

Imagine having a woman like that and leaving her to sit on a bench alone, day after day.  The thought didn’t make much sense to him.

He found himself with an image in his mind of the two of them, sitting close together on the bench.  He’d wrap an arm around her, and she’d gently lay her head against his shoulder as they watched the sun slip below the horizon.  They’d linger as the sky slowly changed to darker hues, revealing the moonrise and stars twinkling above them. He’d stand up and take her hand, gently helping her rise from the bench and pulling her into his arms. He’d kiss her under the silvery moonlight, then look into those familiar eyes with wonder as they reflected starlight, kindness and faithful love.

The image was so vivid, he almost paused for a moment mid-stride to stop the daydream. He reminded himself that he was here to clear his head, nothing more.  But there was a strange pull coming from a place deep within his heart...  An interest and attraction that he could not deny, towards a woman he did not know, yet felt strangely connected to in ways he could not explain.

As he rounded the bend, he thought about details he’d never really contemplated before...  How he admired the look of her hair pulled back in a high ponytail, revealing the features of her face, but also loved to see it down, bouncing in waves at her shoulders as she walked, with curls flying in the river breeze.

He thought about the sweet way she’d stop suddenly to take pictures of wildflowers, a butterfly, a bird, a tugboat passing by or the sun reflecting on the water.

He pondered the way their eyes met for a polite nod every time they crossed paths.  Even though they were strangers and despite no words ever being exchanged, her smile held warmth as if greeting a friend.

He realized he was not just curious about her, but hoping to see her...  Wanting to see her.

The path curved around the coastline and turned towards the cove, revealing the woman still sitting alone on her favorite bench.  She was looking out over the water, watching the brilliance of a spectacular sunset painted across river and sky. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, loose strands blowing in the breeze around her lovely face.

She turned towards him and their eyes met, but instead of a shy glance and quick nod, both held their gaze.

Captivated by beautiful brown eyes and her warm, gentle smile, he felt a desire that could no longer be ignored.  A powerful magnetic pull would not allow him to dismiss her or his feelings.  For the first time in three years, he slowed his pace, then stopped in front of her...  Before he could second–guess the moment, the words came naturally, flowing with ease.

“Do you mind if I sit for a moment to watch the sunset with you?”

Her face was illuminated in golden light as she looked up at him with genuine surprise to hear him speak.

“I would really like that,” she replied softly, moving over a bit so he could sit comfortably beside her. Looking closely at one another face to face, his green eyes, her brown eyes, locked in a moment of sacred recognition before drawing closer together on the bench.

There was an electricity between them. He felt it throughout his whole being as he sat close beside her, and he knew without a doubt from the look on her face, she felt it too. There was no fear in the realization, only wonder, gratitude, and a sense of joy that neither could explain.

It wasn’t the chaotic, intense charge of lust...  The energy was as strong and steady as a heartbeat, an invisible current that flowed through them, uniting them in a beautiful, peaceful connection that felt like finally coming home after a lifetime journey apart.

On a bench beside the river one summer evening, the activation of a blessing, arranged long before they were born, took place as the sky faded into a stunning twilight.  It was the beginning of something always destined to arrive once their healing was complete, when the gift could be fully recognized, held, appreciated and received, in its own perfect divine timing.