Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Waves sloshed back and forth as the wind caressed Russell’s face, the sun’s bright orange rays floated on the water and his toes sunk in the cool, moist sand; he loved the beach. And now it was more peaceful than ever. The hurricane smoothed out the beachfront like a supernatural scraper, removing evidence of human infestation and leaving behind the perfect creation that had always been present, but overlooked. He clenched the gold coin in his palm, a powerful reminder of the commitment he'd made. The beach helped him embrace steps two and three. He looked down at the crinkled paper as he slumped down and sat on the crisp sand.

Step 2 - came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3 - made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understand God.

He had to believe. It was the only thing that would keep him from falling into the sea like many of the houses that had once been on the beach. The devastation behind him reminding him of his past, things he had no control over. I’ll face the beach each and every day. I’ll put the damaged memories behind me.

His mind turned to the stimulus for the change, Ellen Delaney. She was an angel of light sent to rescue him from the abyss. His life tumbling down into the pit, in a perpetual fall, but then she reached out and pulled him up. His evacuation and her invitation led to the visit that gave him the will and the desire to change. She knew he wasn’t perfect, he pulled back the facade, exposing his soul and making him vulnerable, and then she did the most amazing thing, the most unexpected thing of all; she accepted him. Her love unconditional. This humbled him and for the first time in his life, he believed there was a God, there had to be to have created someone so genuine and pure as Ellen Delaney.

He rose from his seated position still watching the sun rise above the ocean, a day full of promise and a life full of hope. He smiled as he walked to his car.