Manatee Encounter on Florida's Gulf Coast

I sit on the shore of this Gulf Coast island populated with seashells and simple creatures of the sand.  An umbrella gives shade while I read.  My six year old had been wading in the shallows looking at living sand dollars for close to an hour when she yelped in surprise and fear.  Responding to her cries, we discover a manatee has floated up to her knees, curious of her stillness.  The manatee withdraws with our intrusion, and my Sophia and her father head down the beach in search of other manatees.  I return to my reading; totally engrossed in the last chapter of The Book Thief.  My heart is weeping; I’m stunned with loss.  I read the last lines and slowly close the book.  As I do, I look up toward the horizon and my eye meets those of the manatee.  She has returned, drawn to the mystery that connects us all to the deep well of emotion.  She knows my pain.  The shared exchange of gathered thoughts lasts for several minutes and reminds me that we are all family.  Within spirit, we are never alone.