No visiting squirrels hungry for this mornings corn cob feeding

Only blue jays and hummers performing their usual fly by

And a scared dog wandering the quiet mountain road

I thought of the day April got lost in the mall around the holidays in a rush of people

She was little and always held my hand

I don’t remember when she let go with all the bags and packages I was carrying

I stood there not knowing which way to go, what to do, but pray

God, lead me to her right now, help her to stay put wherever she is and not wander through the mall or be aware that she is lost

I was compelled to walk towards, then ran, to the bookstore all the way back to the children’s section

A familiar place we both had been so many times

There she was sitting on the floor way in the back of the room facing the entrance

With her fingers in her mouth and a look in her eyes no mother would forget

Yet it was as if she were waiting for me

We grabbed and held each other for a long time relieved that we had found each other and were no longer lost

She never let go of my hand whenever we were out again

And I held her hand until she could find her own way

And home again

💙

Tags:  #nature, #mountain(s), #lost, #hand, #amothershand, #hand, #home