Footprints In The Past Poem by Jim Yerman

We love to walk along the beach in the early morning air
with the salt smell in our noses and a breeze blowing in our hair…

We love to watch the sun paint the sky…breathing color into the dusky grey
We love to watch the pelicans glide and the dolphins greet the day.

Each morning brings it's own moments of surprise…we love the spontaneity
never knowing what we'll find…or who we'll chance to see.

This morning we were finishing our little walk beside the sea
when ahead of us, in the water, we saw a family of three.

A grandfather, a father and a son..who we assume was getting his wish
as the grandfather and the father were teaching him to fish.

We stopped for a moment to relish in this early moment of surprise…
as the past, the present and the future generation stood right before out eyes.

And a smile crossed our faces as our own memories revived
of times when our children were that young and their grandparents were alive.

We thought how life moves on so quickly…how fast the time flies by
how these moments appear then fade away…right before our eyes.

How we must savor every moment knowing that moment will not last
because each step into the present leaves a footprint in the past.

And we hoped these three generations standing in the water as the day was about to dawn
would savor this moment they were sharing…because all too soon…
the moment's gone….

Walking away from them I thought…
what a wonderful moment they had planned
and I had to smile when I looked back at them…
and saw our footprints in the sand.