On Monday we took a quick trip over to Jupiter Beach to soak in the last precious moments of a summer vacation that has nearly come to a close. After all, school starts on Tuesday and our dreams of lazy days with nothing at all to do will be history. But this day would be one of the more eventful days of our summer by all accounts.
The ocean was nearly perfect, various colors of blues and greens, just small waves and a perfect sandbar. The boys were skim boarding and enjoying it to the fullest. When I took these beautiful photos to document our day, I was not expecting what happened next. My nephew, Elijah, has been visiting from up north for much of the summer. He was trying skim boarding for the first time, and anyone who has ever tried it will tell you that it's not as easy as it looks!
Unfortunately, Elijah fell while skim boarding, and twisted his ankle very badly. It was terribly painful for him and as the other children and I were standing around him, trying to figure out how we could help him and more importantly, how to get him home, a woman approached me and said, "Can I help you?"
It turns out that this angel who appeared out of the blue was a physical therapist and not just any therapist, she had worked for the NBA and the NFL for many years and had treated some of the greatest athletes and rock stars in the world. She offered to evaluate Elijah and see if the ankle was broken - thankfully it was not, but the pain was still great. She did some energy work and adjusted his legs to help with the alignment of his ankle since it had been thrown way out of whack. She was a wealth of information and she tried to help us in assisting Elijah to walk.
But with about 200 yards of sand and boardwalk (plus steps) to traverse in order to reach our car, our attempts would not be successful. Finally, I called for assistance and Fire Rescue came and placed him on a board and like superheros they carried him to the car so I could transport him home. It was quite an ordeal, but I cannot say enough about the efficiency of the Fire Rescue personnel. They were really so caring and lovely.
The irony of this whole series of events, was that earlier that morning I had read a passage from Florence Scovell Shinn where she describes how the universe will send you what you need in the exact moment that you need it, if you seek to be in the flow of grace. I was reminded of this when the therapist, Lynn, offered her help. Even more interesting was the fact that Lynn had lost her car key on the beach and was looking for it when she happened upon us. When we spoke later, she told me that she was pondering her situation as she walked along the beach and asking why this would be happening and what was her lesson to learn from such an unfortunate circumstance? Then she saw us and seized the opportunity to be of service. Then Fire Rescue was able to open her car and help her solve her situation. It was really all kismet. That certainly validates Florence's words as well as what my grandmother always told me when I was a child, "Everything happens for a reason."
As for Elijah, he is recovering and getting better every day. Don't know if he'll want to try skim boarding any time soon though. Maybe next summer!
