It was the beginning of the world and all was new. Suddenly, you crossed His mind. There He was, creating the stars, galaxies of whirling light spinning in His hands, a million and one other things on His mind and then there was you. You weren't even born yet but He knew you. He knew the first word you'd ever speak, the pitch of the first squeal announcing your proud presence on this earth. He knew the exact hue of your eyes, the way the corner of your mouth would twist while you sparkled with laughter. Across the millennia the thought of you pulled at His heart and made it beat faster. Besides the hairs on your head or the cells in your body, He knew how many times you'd cry. Every joy and sorrow, heartbreak and loss was clearly written in His mind before any of it ever occurred. Every day of your life was tucked safely away in a book of His handwriting before a minute of it ever was lived. Thousands of years passed and then...the day came. You arrived! You were finally here! How He'd waited. How He'd planned. No ancestor was missing, no trace of DNA was incorrect or out of place. Out of some irreparable wrongs in your ancestral past, He'd created one spectacular right, you. 

 

     He relished every day with you, watching your first steps with uncontained joy, only wishing you could see His face light up with delight when you said your first word. He prided in your victories saying to Himself, there's my son, my daughter, look at them go! He never regretted you but merely regretted being forced to cheer you on from afar. Day after day, He'd look for a moment in which to catch your attention. He longed for just one drop of the love He had for you to be returned, but most days it went unnoticed, unrequited. On some warm evenings however, you'd look up and it was as if you could see Him standing there before you, painting all the colors of the sky. And in that moment, He drew near, like He'd longed to all along, and spoke your name, an ineffable tenderness on His lips. 

     

    Still the days passed, and you grew older, great sorrows overwhelming you like waves upon a turbulent sea. You cried out to Him of whom you'd only scarcely taken notice before and He ran, leaping to save you, longing to comfort you. After that, you did hold His hand a little tighter. As life went on, His visage became imprinted on your mind, a face you'd never seen. How strange that the one you'd begun to lean upon and hold so dearly could often seem so very far away. And yet, in the still of the night, you'd feel Him gently wrapping His arms about you and lulling you to sleep. In every moment of your life, He was there. From your eventful wedding day, to the time your dog died, He never missed a thing. One day you awoke realizing it was almost over. Every friend and loved one had already made their way to His throne, or were waiting by your side to bid you farewell as you set off on a journey they could not accompany you on. 

     

The next thing you knew you heard a cry! And there He was, ecstatic to see you, overwhelmed by emotion. He could not wipe the smile or the tears off His face. His arms held you tightly and for the first time you could see Him who'd held you all along. You'd made your way there at last and it was like breathing for the first time. You barely knew how to accept His love, but you drank it in nonetheless, a dehydrated soul at the fountain of life. Every former bit of life seemed to fade into its correct place, a prologue to an unforgettable journey. Taking His arm, you allow Him to finally walk you home. 

~Rachel~