Mark took his daily walk through the park as usual. He came across a nature trail that he never took. He had a little more time to spare before he had to start his day, so he decided today was the day. The trail led through the woods and into a clearing. At the clearing, there was a hill and at the top of the hill was a bench. There were people walking through the trail and joggers taking a break by the bench. Mark walked up to the bench and sat down. He looked beyond the top of the hill and could see the entire city and trees surrounding the entire area. The view was breathtaking. Mark couldn’t believe how beautiful the site was. The sun just waking up to greet the land and he go to witness it. He watched people running by, stretching, walking with their headphones and an old man that was walking in Marks’ direction. He looked about Mark’s age which was about late seventies. He had long gray hair that rested on his shoulders and a beard to match. He sat down next to Mark and pulled out a bag of bird seed. Mark looked at the old man and tipped his hat to greet him. The old man smiled and said, “Nice morning isn’t it?” Mark nodded and replied, “Yes indeed. I have never been here before but I’m glad I came today. The view is amazing.” The old man began throwing bird seeds on the ground. “I’m Joshua. I’ve been coming to this bench for as long as I can remember.” “My name is Mark. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Joshua.” Mark shook Joshua’s hand. A jogger looked at Mark strange but kept running. Joshua chuckled. “What brings you here today, Joshua? I’ve never seen you on the trail back there before. I’ve been walking the park for the last fifty years. How come we haven’t crossed paths?” Joshua looked past the hill and smiled. “I keep to this trail because it keeps me more in touch with nature than the other trails.” Joshua continued, “I come here to think about my life.” Mark smiled and asked, “Have any regrets?” Joshua leaned back on the bench, crossed him arms and looked up. “Well, now that you ask, I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘regrets’ but I do have some things I would like the change. What about you Mark?” Mark laughed and joked, “I regret not betting on the Red Sox for the World Series.” The men laughed. Mark got serious and said, “I wish I would have done more with my life. I got married but my wife couldn’t have children. It was hard but we made our peace with it. I worked my entire life and lost sight of what was important; my wife. I was so focused on the money, paying a mortgage, the cars and the house. I failed to focus on Lucy. She put all of her needs to the side to make sure I was happy and I didn’t return the favor. Cancer took her away two years ago. Today is our anniversary. Through everything, she stood by my side and never gave up. I regret not thanking her for all the things she did. I took it all for granted and now she’s gone. I didn’t get the chance to enjoy life with her.” Joshua patted Mark on the knee. “Now that is somethin’ but I can promise your wife knew you appreciated and loved her. She stood by your side through it all. She knows.” An older woman walked up to the gentlemen. She had short white hair and a cane. It was Mark’s friend Mary. “Good morning, Mark! I haven’t seen you on this trail before. Change of scenery?” Mark laughed. “Yes ma’am, I’m just sitting here having a conversation with my friend Joshua here.” Mark motioned to Joshua. He smiled and nodded his head. Mary looked confused and returned her attention to Mark. “Are you feeling alright, dear?” Mark tilted his head to the side and nodded. “Yes, why do you ask?” Mary replied, “No reason. Erm, have a good day Mark and take care.” Mark shook her hand and she left. Joshua smiled. “Some people have a hard time paying attention to what’s important. Like a friend. I am everyone’s friend. I am always there for them. I can be your friend Mark.” Mark nodded and said, “This day has always been the hardest. I take long walks and I talk to God. Yeah, it sounds silly like I’m talking to myself. I’m not even sure He is listening.” Joshua laughed. “Son, He is always listening. You may not know it, but He is around more than you may think.” Mark looked down at his aged hands. “You may be right but I still ask Him why he took my Lucy so soon. We were gonna grow to be a hundred.” Joshua scooted over towards Mark and put his arm around his shoulder. Joshua explained, “He takes the best ones early. His reasons are unknown but I know in my heart that it’s within good reason. I know that Lucy is at peace and she wants you to be at peace with yourself. You must forgive yourself for your regrets.” Mark took in a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. This isn’t a way to live. Lucy would want me to be happy. Not sulking in a park feeling sorry for myself.” Joshua laughed, “Now that’s the spirit!” The sun was almost all the way up by now. Mark put his hands on his knees, pushing off to stand up. “Well, it’s about time I get going. It was truly nice meeting you Joshua.” Joshua nodded his head once and smiled. “It was wonderful meeting you too, Mark.” Mark waved goodbye and began walking away from the bench. He was five steps away when he turned around to thank Joshua but when he turned, he was gone. He looked around and there was no sign of him anywhere. He walked back to the park and saw Mary. He called out to her and she walked up to him. “Mary, did you see the man I was talking to earlier? He just disappeared.” Mary’s face changed. “Mark, there was nobody sitting with you on that bench. It was just you. I saw you and you were talking to yourself about Lucy.” Mark couldn’t believe his ears. “That’s impossible, Mary. I shook Joshua’s hand.” Mary shook her head. “Dear, I watched you shake the air. There wasn’t anyone there. Just you, Mark. What were you and this ‘Joshua’ person talking about?” Mark scratched his chin and replied, “We were talking about God.” Mary shrugged her shoulders and said, “Maybe you weren’t talking to yourself. Maybe you were talking to Jesus.”
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