Watching...waiting

I've been wondering if or how to use this image ever since I captured it in New England last summer.  Though it's not a true "widows walk", it reminds me of that lonely roost where the wives of seafarers would pace; watching and waiting, often in vain, for the return of their loved one.

This week, our son Nelson lost a neighborhood buddy in a tragic accident.  At 14, Pat was "too young to die".  Yet he's gone.

At the same time, my dad is continuing his recovery from open heart surgery.  Doing well at age 70, all things considered.  So thankful; especially in light of Pat.

These things send our minds in a thousand directions.  We hug our kids a little closer. We say our "I love yous" a little more freely.  We resolve to let the unimportant things pass a little easier.  To value each day a little more.

We realize we are all watching and waiting; for the return of something lost.   But while we wait, we must live.  With hope.