Susan LaffertyShell, found.
Tucked in a side pocket of an old backpack. From some forgotten trip.
Somewhere I walked on a beach. Gazed at the horizon.
Then looked down for treasure.
And there they were. Scattered on sand. Different shapes. Colors. Designs.
Intricate ridges. Swirls. Some perfect. Others, broken and jagged.
Each reminding me of something more.
It hit me in a different way that day.
The gathering of family and friends to commission this latest group of sent ones. Newly trained. Now on their way. To places all over the globe.
It hit me when I saw the expressions. On parents’ faces.
Pride. Joy. Grief. And for some—uncertainty. Perhaps, even anger.
The time had come. For releasing their kids and grandkids. To travel across oceans and borders. Into a new and different life of serving in another culture.
