The heat was stifling and many of the beach goers had retreated to find shade under some overhanging branches by the tree line. There were still some brave souls spread out on their colorful towels that dotted the sand. That the human body could withstand such temperatures was surprising. Children played in the lake, their shouts and laughter carrying across the beach on the slight breeze.

After an hour on the sand and enduring the blast of the sun, Shana also sought out some shade. A large oak towered over where she sat, its branches reaching out over the sandy beach and its leaves rustling in the soft wind. Shana had brought her beach chair, preferring it over hugging the ground with only a towel for separation.

She’d brought a novel along, one involving mystery and romance, her favorite kind. Although she’d considered inviting a friend to join her, she decided against it. As busy as her life had been lately, some quiet reflection and solitude seemed more fitting. Three chapters into the book, she looked up and scanned the activity on the beach.

It was still early, maybe two o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was blazing in a clear, blue sky without a trace of cloud in sight. Shana noticed a mother with four young children to her left, just leaving the parking lot and heading to the lake. The older ones were all carrying lake paraphernalia. A boy about eight years old carried a beach bag, probably filled with towels. A girl, around six years old, carried two swimming tubes and a pail in one hand. A four year old boy dragged a mesh bag filled with sand toys behind him. The smallest one, a boy, trailed behind his mother and was losing ground. Shana estimated he was under two years old. The mother’s arms were loaded down with beach gear. She stopped form time to time to make sure her youngest was following.

“What a brave soul,” Shana said under her breath.

To watch that many little ones by oneself seemed daunting. Shana watched as they set up close to the water’s edge with a big beach blanket, large umbrella, cooler, bag of snacks and all the items the kids had brought scattered around.

Shana shook her head at the show and was thankful her kids were grown and on their own. Her life was still busy but not that kind of busy. She managed her own company and today was a rare day off. God had impressed on her two years ago that she desperately needed some down time. Life was too short and her health too important not to take care of herself.

With a deep intake of humid, lake air and a thank you directed to her Lord for this quiet day, Shana turned back to her book and began the next chapter. The words flew by as the intrigue of the story wrapped around her, bringing her to the end of that chapter rather quickly. She turned the page and the next chapter’s title jumped out at her and she pondered why it would. The words, ‘A Divine Walk on the Beach’, shouldn’t move her this way and yet she couldn’t push away the prodding she felt. The chapter title captivated her. Just maybe the girl in the story would meet the man of her dreams on her beach walk.

Shana already had a man in her life so that couldn’t be the prodding she felt. Her husband was all she’d ever need. He was good to her and she was completely in love with him. That thought brought a smile to her lips.

Looking up, Shana noticed the mother sitting on the beach blanket, her youngest playing with a sand pail and shovel close to her. Her other three were in the shallow water, the two oldest with their tubes and the four year old sitting in the water filling a pail and randomly dumping it.

The urge to get up and stroll along the water’s edge didn’t leave her but rather seemed to grow in intensity. Shana really didn’t want to get up and do anything. Perhaps some exercise would be good for her but the heat sure didn’t give her any incentive to follow through.

She looked back to her book and read the first paragraph.

‘Daisy left the rocky path behind and set foot on the shifting sand, the angry water to her right raging up in flumes on the rocky beach. As the waves hit the shore, the water’s indent swayed far up onto the land. Behind her, the waves crashed into the rocky outcropping, sending torrents of water and spray high into the air. She didn’t know what brought her here but now that she’d arrived she knew she couldn’t turn back. Few ventured onto this beach, it was too dangerous but she couldn’t ignore the pull she felt.’

Shana lifted her eyes once more. The nudge she felt to get up and walk was still strong. She finally stood, set her book down on her chair and walked down to the water’s edge. The heat of the sand felt extreme compared to the cooler temperatures beneath the leafy cover. As soon as she reached the water’s edge she stepped in, the cool waves refreshing her immediately. Keeping her feet submerged, she walked along the edge, past children playing in the shallow water. The beach wasn’t very big, she finished her little walk in record time before turning around to head back the way she’d come.

Shana saw the situation develop slowly before it morphed into danger. The mother was busy tending to her four year old son, who’d gotten some sand into his eyes. His cries were frantic and she tried to her best to relieve his pain, wiping his eyes with a towel. Looking out onto the water, Shana noticed the girl struggling with her tube. She’d somehow drifted into deeper water and had ended up on the outside of her flotation device. Kicking her legs, she was trying to get closer to where her feet could reach but she kept turning, sending her even further into deeper water.

It was at this moment that the mother noticed the situation. She stood from her crouched position and yelled. Her four-year-old son stood beside her, crying and rubbing his eyes.

“Rosy! Come back to shore! You’re too deep!”

Her youngest wandered to the water’s edge. The young mother hurried to him and stood watching him carefully. Her eyes kept glancing up to view her daughter’s progress.

Shana watched carefully, not knowing if her help would be required. Hopefully Rosy could get herself repositioned and headed in the right direction.

The mother now had her four-year-old son’s arms wrapped around her legs, crying in pain and her two year old was wobbling, ready to take a nose dive into the shallow water around his knees. The young woman noticed just in time and bent down to grab her little one, stopping his downward projection.

Shana kept her eyes peeled on Rosy while the young woman was preoccupied with her youngest. It was then that Rosy lost her grip and disappeared beneath the surface of the lake. In a flash, Shana tore off her cover up and tossed it to the sand. Leaping into the water, she dove in when the water was deep enough. Swimming hard, she reached the tube in record time and searched beneath the surface. Rosy’s hair was the first thing Shana saw. It waved back and forth in the water’s flow in surreal patterns. The terror on the girl’s face was the next thing that registered.

Forcing herself deeper, Shana grabbed hold of Rosy’s arm and pulled her to the surface. It was hard to judge time during such an adrenaline rush. As soon as Rosy cut through to the air above, she gasped, cried and clung to Shana with force. Shana made her way to the tube, making sure to keep Rosy’s face above water. The tube wasn’t that far away but it was a struggle to get there. Rosy’s frantic desire for air made it a battle.

It was only when Shana reached the tube, transferred Rosy to cling to it instead of her that she heard the mother’s screams of terror. Shana turned and looked back to shore. The young woman looked beside herself with horror. She clung to her youngest two, watching the scene unfold with Shana and Rosy.

Rosy coughed and coughed but she clung to the tube tightly. She coughed up a great deal of water and it surprised Shana that she lasted that long beneath the surface without drastic results. Rosy must have held her breath for the duration that she was submerged. When her coughing subsided the tears started. Kicking her legs, Shana hung on to the tube and directed it toward shore. It didn’t take long to get there. The young woman waited, not willing to risk her younger children in deeper water. Shana pushed the tube toward the mother when she got close. The young woman stepped toward the tube and picked up Rosy, holding her close.

“Rosy, didn’t I tell you not to go so deep? I can’t watch all you kids by myself!” Rosy responded by crying harder. The mother hung on tight and rubbed her daughter’s back.

Shana pondered that the young mother should have processed that bit of information sooner. Watching four young children by a lake all alone was a great deal of responsibility.

The woman turned to Shana and said, “Thank you for rescuing my daughter! I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t acted so quickly.”

“I’m glad I was at the right place at the right time.”

“Thank you again!”

“No problem. I’m just glad she’s okay.”

The mother nodded and headed back to her beach blanket, carrying Rosy, her two younger boys following behind. The older boy still floated on his tube but he stayed at a safe distance from shore.

After retrieving her cover up, Shana headed back to her beach chair in the shade. She dried off with her towel and then sat back down. Reading seemed pointless at the moment. Her mind was full of what just took place.

She had no doubt that God had moved her to take a walk but that he’d used a novel to do it surprised her. She couldn’t remember God ever using a work of fiction to move her to action this way. Perhaps she’d delegated God into a box that he wasn’t prepared to stay in. Who was she to dictate to him what to use to speak to her? A small smile edged her lips as she deliberated that thought. He seemed more real to her in this moment than what she could remember. That he was intricately part of her down time at the beach blessed her tremendously.