At Last!
“Dad, what are we
looking for?” Blaze was searching his daddy’s face.
“I’m not sure,
Buddy. But we’ll know when we find it,”
answered Adam softly.
They’d been sitting on
the creek bank…watching, listening, waiting…for something.
Adam and his son both
had an emptiness down deep inside that neither had been able to fill. Oh, they loved each other very much and
always had lots of fun when they were able to be together, but something was
missing. The hole remained. Nothing was quite enough to fill it up.
With Adam propped
against a live oak tree, Blaze skipped rocks across the quiet waters. The West Texas
wind was strangely gentle today. Suddenly,
Adam shot straight up
and looked toward the
hill in the east.
“Dad, what is it? Did you see a deer?” Blaze ran to his side
trying to catch his breath.
Adam shook his head
and put his finger to his lips. Blaze
was following his
gaze, trying to catch a glimpse of what his father had seen. Nothing.
“What?” Blaze’s arms flew into the air impatiently. “I don’t see it!”
“I didn’t see anything,
Blazer.” Adam whispered, “Listen!”
They stood like
statues…waiting, listening, searching.
“It must have been my
imagination. I thought I heard bells.”
Adam shook his head
and sat down once again.
“Like Santa’s
bells?” Blaze had to get to the bottom
of this.
Adam shook his
head. “No.”
“Like the bells that
ring at the church? Or the ones in the marching
band?”
Adam’s nods were now
frustrating his son.
“Then, what did you
hear?” Blaze pointed at his dad and
started laughing. “Oh, you dozed off and were dreaming!”
Adam stood up, gave
Blaze a nudge, and they started walking up the hill toward the truck. They were almost ready to climb in when Blaze stopped
in his tracks.
“Dad!” Blaze was waving his hands wildly to get his
attention. Adam stepped around the truck
and put his arm around Blaze’s shoulders.
“Dad, it’s coming from
down there,” Blaze whispered pointing to the valley below.
“What are you talking
about?” Adam asked looking into Blaze’s
eyes.
“The music…the bells.”
Adam and Blaze rushed to
the side of the hill and looked down into the gnarly mesquites, cactus, and
broom weeds. They made their way down
the hill…listening, searching. Every few
steps, Adam’s hand would touch Blaze’s shoulder to stop him…waiting, listening,
searching.
They finally came to a
point where they had to wind around the bottom of the hill, and the music grew
louder. Whatever they were hearing was
drawing them in, and their hearts were almost pounding out of their chests. They had to find the music. Almost there, they pushed through the thick
weeds and branches,
stumbling over rocks and prickly pears, trudging forward to the beautiful sound
that was now filling the air and wooing their hearts.
“Blaze, stop!” Adam
suddenly grabbed Blaze’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. “I’ll go in first. You stay here. It might be dangerous.”
Blaze nodded in
agreement. He didn’t want to get hurt,
and his daddy could take care of anything!
He was waiting,
listening, and searching as far as he could see through the trees as he sat
down on a big rock to wait. Wow! This adventure made him tired! He laid down and closed his eyes.
Adam came to a
clearing under the cliff of the hill and entered a meadow. He could see something or someone standing at the
meadow’s edge, but the glare of the sun was too bright. Adam squinted and shielded his eyes with his
hand as he tried to bring the figure into focus. Standing before him was the most beautiful
woman he’d ever seen. Her smile took his
breath away.
She slowly came toward
him with outstretched arms.
“You’ve finally come! I’ve been waiting for you!” Her words filled
his heart and took away the pain of emptiness that he’d known for so long.
Adam reached out and
took Lauren’s hands in his. They stood
for a moment holding on to the joy and love they both had waited, listened, and
searched for all of their lives.
“Dad! Dad!
Where are you?” Blaze’s voice burst through the air. “Da—ddy!
Are you alright?”
“Over here, Blazer!” Adam shouted.
Blaze ran into the
meadow and stopped right in front of his dad and Lauren. He stood before them, mouth wide open and
shaking his head, not fully understanding what was happening.
They reached out and
took one of Blaze’s hands in each of theirs, and he somehow knew that everything was going to be just fine.
The music filled the empty places and created a symphony of love, trust,
and happiness. A family was born and
their adventures have just begun.
**Adam, Lauren, and Blaze will formally
be united together as a family on January 26, 2013.
