Footprints

[ehowton]

I dreamed I was walking along the beach, and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene I noticed various footprints in the sand. Some were individual, presumably my own. In other scenes I would be joined by one or more.

Some paralleled mine closely, others from a distance. There were perpendicular ones too. Some were straight and narrow, others showed an unsteady gait.

As I rose higher into the sky from these visions and began mentally piecing the scenes together, linking my path of footprints chronologically into an Earth-sized collage, patterns began to form.

My own trail of footprints was never broken, nor were those of the many I have interacted with over the course of my life.

Sometimes those I met would walk with me, or I with them, when our paths brought us together for a duration. Invariably, we would part ways as would be appropriate for a lifetime-length cosmic journey.

Some were parallel longer than others, some were just a chance meeting, no more than a skip; anonymous lovers for but a moment.

The patterns revealed that we were all interwoven with one another when viewed from a distance greater than eye-level, and some sets of footprints never really departed, rather skirted back around from time to time in a lazy circle.

Even from this altitude I could make out the scenes from my life and was astonished to discover how I remember feeling at any given time didn't seem to match what was actually transpiring - my judgment had been understandably myopic.

I descended back down and stepped at the head of my footprints in the untouched sand, creating a new pair. Looking around me, everything I saw was once again limited to my own perspective.

But I now understood it now to be only a partial truth. I would run this time, not walk - and would embrace everyone I came in contact with, no matter how briefly - for it mattered not who they were or what role they played, they would forever be a part of my fabric, and I, theirs.

Comments

[jobu121.livejournal.com]

Wow sir. This is a very impressive flash of your life. I hope my footprints ran into yours at least more than once :)

Great

[wild7orchid.livejournal.com]

WOW! This is so deep and beautiful! :)

[suzanne1945.livejournal.com]

Loved this! What an unique description of life's journey!

[michelle1963.livejournal.com]

Beautiful.

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

Hugs!!!

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

:)

[pcofwildthings.livejournal.com]

Indeed. What an amazing dream to afford you a visual perspective. "[I] was astonished to discover how I remember feeling at any given time didn't seem to match what was actually transpiring - my judgment had been understandably myopic." How true of us all.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It wasn't an actual nocturnal dream however, I based it upon the inspirational prayer, Footprints in the Sand:

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;
One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before us,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
There was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life
This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all the way;
But I have noticed that during the
most troublesome times in my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why in times when I
needed you the most, you should leave me.

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious
child. I love you, and I would never,
never leave you during your times of
trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.


Read more: http://www.prayers-for-special-help.com/footprints-prayer.html#ixzz2S9FVTOGq