DADDY’S LOVE

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By Lisa Ricard Claro

“Look!” Daddy nodded to the sea and smiled. “There are sun drops, millions of sun drops.”

I blinked back at the surface of the water and felt the smile light my face when I saw the ocean through his eyes. He was right. It was raining – it was pouring – sun drops!

The silvery sunlight shone down on the huge expanse of sea, and with each watery swirl and shimmering peak, the reflecting rays created the illusion of sunshine rain.

I watched the diamond-bright sun drops dance on the water, the sight so dazzling it made my eyes tear. I had loved and watched the sea my whole life but never noticed the sun drops until that moment.

Those beach days with my daddy are long gone, absorbed into my personal past. They are treasures to touch and hold close, memories of cherished times with a special man. To have them is a blessing, and yet it seems not nearly enough. Still, I am grateful for those days and all the things he taught me.

I learned that day on the beach that beauty manifests itself in unexpected ways, that what I see and how I see it are largely a matter of perspective, not always reality. I learned that things, and people, too, are so much more than what they seem, that hidden treasures abound, even in things we take for granted, if we illuminate a different view, a different angle.

I love the sea and can’t smell it or sense it without thinking of Daddy and our special beach days. I think of him, too, when flashing sun drops dance like diamonds on the water.

And I am struck anew by the beauty of it, each and every time.

Source: Excerpt from an article posted by “Beliefnet” Chicken Soup for the Soul Newsletter