Joe took this photo. He and his wife Debbie were the only two people besides Isaiah and I who had ventured out to the end of the Cayucos Pier just then. Isaiah’s long arm was holding my phone out in front of us in an attempt to honor my request to capture the moment when we heard a man’s kind voice ask, “Would you like me to take your picture?”
I turned to find a lovely older couple smiling at us. “Sure!” I said, and I thanked the gentleman while handing my phone to him. We laughed together as he fumbled to take a few shots and admitted he wasn’t sure what he was doing. “You’ll probably have bunch of pictures now,” he chuckled.
A few minutes later they were gone, walking slowly hand-in-hand back toward the bustling shoreline. Isaiah and I hung out for awhile longer, admiring the ocean and clouds. I wouldn’t know the names of these two people had we not caught up with them as we walked back.
I came alongside them and thanked the man again for taking our photo. That’s when we learned it was their wedding anniversary. They were in town for a few days from up north, enjoying the milder weather, but would be going back home soon to see their six-year-old grandson, their miracle. His mother was 29 years old and pregnant with him when she was diagnosed with cancer. She chose life, his life over her own, and died shortly after childbirth. With my teary eyes hidden behind my sunglasses, I asked if I could hug them and they happily obliged. We went on laughing and crying together as we shared life with each other before saying our goodbyes.
My son and I walked back to the car feeling renewed and grateful that we decided to walk the pier on a whim that day. Though we knew it only seemed like a whim. It was really God’s leading, and a reminder of how powerful kindness and gratitude can be.
Carrie Joy(ful) 