rituals

Late afternoon usually finds Johanna and I somewhere along the esplanade, sitting on our favourite seat watching the world go by and the sun go down or feeling the sand between our toes as we walk along the beach. There is something soothing about our daily ritual; a chance to feel the final rays of the sun, the whisper of a breeze or the shout of the wind. The light has a beautiful golden hue and the shadows are long. Families have one last swim or one last play and the sun worshippers pick up their towels and call it a day as the last rays fade away. People walk and jog and ride accompanied by friends, lovers, dogs, kids and bikes. No one seems in a hurry, these are the final moments of another day.

And Johanna and I walk and chat about the day or sit in companionable silence.  Earlier this week as we sat on ‘our seat’ she laid her head on my shoulder and said, “I love living here, I can’t imagine living in a city again” And I love these moments with my daughter, I know too well they will not last. Now is a precious moment in time and the strengthening of bonds that will sustain a lifetime of love. Number four will soon make her own way in the world. Memories of Caloundra will always, for me, be associated with the golden light of late afternoons and the golden warmth of sharing it with my daughter.