On a beautiful white sandy beach, my husband gave me the best anniversary present, without even knowing it. As is the case with most families today, a lavish dinner and velvet box were not possible to commemorate the ten year marker of the day we said "I do". After a long day in the hot Florida sun, he drove the hour required to make it to some of the most beautiful beaches near us. The adolescent excitement rolled off of me as I spoke seemingly without pause. Our marriage, like so many others, had hung at the edge of divorce for three long years. We were only waiting for the judicial signature on our decree to free us from one another, when a routine meeting changed two broken hearts. My excitement at seeing a day that no one thought would come to pass was apparent in the questions geared towards confirming his happiness. After parking we started the long trek towards crashing waves. Pausing only to take off our sandals and sink tired feet into pristine white sand. A walk along the shoreline prompted a sea shell search for our daughter. As my hands began to fill with every shell that caught my eye, I emptied my drink to transfer my treasure to a bigger resevior. I threw out the desire to find an ever elusive sand dollar. Anyone versed in sea shell searching knows how probable that is. Yet as we walked along, he began handing me small shards of sand dollars. Some marked with fossils, some perfect, some worn almost smooth. For over a mile we walked along, our gazes rarely lifting from the sand and the surf. Him handing every broken piece over, to add to my growing collection, he diligently combed for my treasure. Deciding to sit in the surf and watch the sun set on our beautiful day, I realized that though those pieces varied in every way, they very likely made up a whole. This morning curiosity drove me to assemble the puzzle of a very precious gift. There on my kitchen table sat the culmination of my girlish desire for my sand dollar. In his determination he gave me my hearts desire, maybe not as I first imagined it, but more precious in the time it took to aquire. Reminding me that often our hearts desire is given as we least expect it.
