Now this was to be a special evening for Becky...it was the place her husband had planned to take her for her birthday. They talked about how much they loved the view...and the fire pit on the beach, surrounded by Adirondack chairs.
Sadly, a few weeks before her birthday, Becky's husband lost his 2 yr. battle with the horrible cancer that invaded is body. So the neighborhood girls filled in the gap... All the way there, Becky talked about the sunset and how gorgeous it would be. She knew Bob would be there....watching over her. Oh how she wanted a sunset....
On our drive to Clearwater Beach and the Sand Pearl Resort, we were hit by a great thunderstorm. The rain came down so hard we could hardly see the car in front of us. The chance for a sunset was looking mighty dim...
At "the Pearl", a valet took our car and we ran inside where the concierge handed us umbrellas for the walk to the beach front restaurant. It was quite a meandering hike through the gardens, around the pool, under a waterfall...and through the pouring rain. Sunset today? Nope....
That is...until the very last rays broke through the black clouds... just as we sat down at our table.
The rain was still falling...but the clouds opened just enough for the sun to peek through. Becky was thrilled!
Just seconds after we spied the first opening, we saw this sky...The rains finally drifted off, and the wait staff kindly wiped down the chairs around the fire pit, and lit the fire. They brought out drinks for us and we toasted Becky...and our friendship.
And Becky had her sunset...
(This photo was taken while standing in the rain. The white expanse is the beautiful white sand of Clearwater Beach...the dark area just under the sunset is the Gulf of Mexico.)
Happy Wednesday!
Jane
A great big thanks to Susan for hosting Outdoor Wednesday. Be sure to visit her to view all the wonderful outdoor posts.
19 comments:
Jane
You know how to make me cry!! What a beautiful evening.. but more still.. what beautiful friends!!! I think it is important to find some joy and continue to experience 'happy' moments.. especially at a time like this.. it is easy to think you are not 'allowed' to be happy... you are all very special!! Happy Birthday Becky!!! xxx Julie
What a beautiful post. Becky is truly blessed to have such wonderful friends to support her through such a difficult time. And what an incredible birthday present! Happy Birthday to Becky and thank you for sharing this! Kathy
What great memories, rain or not. Thanks for sharing Happy Birthday Becky!
Rain never stops us from enjoying something fun!~ Still a happy memory, and you still captured an awesome pic!
What a beautiful post, beautiful friendships and a beautiful memory your friend will hold forever in her heart.
Lovely....a lovely post.
Everyone needs friends like you. Great post.
This is so sweet. I'm glad that it turned out well.
XO,
Sheila :-)
You gave me chills. Such a beautiful story.
Geez Jane you trying to make me cry!? I am so glad Becky got to see her sunset. She is very lucky to have friends like you and the "neighborhood girls" to help her through her grief.
Thanks for the tip on Summerhouse, I am going to try and visit there during one of my lunch hours next week!
~ Tracy
Sorry to hear it rained on your celebration but how wonderful that the sunset appeared just in time for you to sit down :)
Hi Jane,
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and the lovely comments. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, Becky, in the loss of her husband. She is so lucky to have friends like you to share her special birthday. We live just south of West Chester and just love this area - we've been here 10 years. I was looking at some of your previous postings. I had many childhood summer vacations at Clearwater back in the 1950s and early 1960s. Such wonderful family memories - and the motel we stayed at was still there when we visited a few years ago. Although the area was more crowded. I'm going to join your blog as a follower. Can't follow too many blogs! Have a nice day!
Hugs,
Teacup Lane (Sandy)
Hi Jane,
It was the Howard Frankland a/k/a Frankenstein...
~Tracy
How beautiful and bittersweet. How great you were as friends. Enjoy all of your sunsets!
Hi Jane,
What a wonderful friend you are ... to Becky and to so many of us! Your kindness and generosity of spirit are most appreciated. Your sunset story has the feeling of a small miracle, very moving. Thank you for sharing it with us.
OMG!!!! your words have touched me in a way you can't imagine! Sweet sweet Becky....that was indeed her precious soulmate speaking to her from his wonderland. I'm a true believer in signs. Big Time. I got them from both my mom and daddy when they died. It's His way of letting us know that they are A-ok.
Thank you for sharing your heartwarming story with us. Renews my spirit tonight!
Jane,
May you have a relaxing week-end. God bless you!
Becky is blessed to have you in her life to help comfort her during this time of her loss. A very touching post.
I'm sorry her precious husband passed so soon.
Sharing this makes me stop to think that I need to hug my own hubby a little tighter tonite when he gets home from work and thank God I still have him with me on this side of heaven.
Thank you for being my blogging buddy.
d
Such a touching story with an amazing photo of a beautiful sunset just for Becky! You guys are really sweet friends that must be so helpful to a hurting friend.
Hi Jane, what wonderful friends Becky has. She is truly blessed to have you in her life. I was so touched by this post...I hope this finds you enjoying pre-spring weather. We're still cold and have snow on the ground, however a promise of weather in the 40's next week makes all of us smile... hugs ~lynne~
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