The Tide Took It All Away

I'm lying here in the sand while the warmth of the sun settles over me like a cotton sheet. As I close my eyes, the sounds of the crashing waves collide with the call of seagulls overhead. The soft ocean breeze blows over me, tickling the tiny invisible hairs on my body, while each wave of the incoming tide washes over my heart. As the waves retreat, I feel every care, worry and hurt fade away to some distant place where I delightfully let them go. Maybe I'll just leave them there.

My life is busy, just like yours.  I work on the corporate staff of a company that oversees 150 franchises.  My husband and I are partners/owners of a popular restaurant in Tulsa, OK.  Between the 2 of us, we have 7 children and 5 grandchildren.  The list of things to do each day never gets completed, adding to tomorrow's duties and my frustration grows as the list grows.

I've worked outside of the home since I was quite young, and while raising my children.  So I'm used to the pace and the daily grind.  But this year has been different.  This year, things started to "get to me".  My heart and soul had been bumped and bruised in several places. My body began to tell me that I'd better slow down and take care of myself.  Do you think I listened?  I ignored the signs that my body, mind and spirit had simply had enough.  I developed a debilitating case of the Shingles that left me home bound and in excruciating pain for a long time.  My body basically said, "If you don't listen to me and slow down, I will do it for you."  And that's exactly what happened.

I don't want to bore you with the list of stressful things that were on my list this year; suffice it to say, I needed a break.  I needed emotional healing and some rest and relaxation.  Hence, the trip to the beach and the therapy it provided!  For the first time in my life, I think I truly understand what people mean when they say that if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.  I had reached my limit, poured myself out and had nothing left to give...to myself or others.

We all have that place we visit, that room in our house, that person to sit with, that refreshes us and fills our soul.  For me, it's the ocean.  For me, I find healing in just about every aspect of it; the breeze, the waves, the unforgiving sand, the call of the seagulls, the taste of salt on my lips, the tides...it's all healing to me.

I don't think I'll ever not listen to my body or soul again.  Why wait until your body shuts down, or you're emotionally worn out?  Make plans now to do whatever gives you renewed strength and hope!

From His lap!

Where My Heart Is Drawn

I have always been drawn to the beach and the ocean.  As a child, my family had a beach home and we spent much time there.  I remember getting up early in the mornings before everyone else and riding my bike down to the inlet.  I would sit there, alone, on the rocks and read.  Watching the waves splash up all around my feet was so soothing.

I visited my daughter in Florida last week and the first thing we did, was go to the beach.  It was a hazy day and there weren't many people there.  As I lay on the sand next to her, with my eyes closed, I felt the presence of God all around me.  He was in the waves I could hear crashing to shore.  He was in the soulful cry of the seagulls.  He was in the warm gentle breeze that lightly skimmed my body.  

I said to my daughter, "Honey, God is in this."  She asked what I meant.  I told her to close her eyes and feel and listen.  Everything that we could feel and hear, was untouched by man, exactly as it was created by God to be.  It was powerful, it was palatable.  I took so many pictures of waves and seagulls and piers.  When I got home and uploaded all of the photos, I couldn't bring myself to delete a single one of them...because He was in them.  Each one was a different creation of God that I had captured for all of eternity.

I know my heart will always be drawn to the ocean. It's the place where I have happy childhood memories. It's where I know I'll feel God's presence and it's where I feel the most peace and joy.  Where do you go where you feel God all around you, sacred and untouched?  What special place brings you closer to Him?  Tell me about the place your heart is drawn towards!  

I don't usually do this, but I'm going to post some of my pics for you to enjoy.  I hope you like them.  It's not the same as being there to hear the waves crashing and the seagulls yelling, or to smell the salt air, and feel the warm breeze caress your skin.  But I hope you enjoy them!

From His Lap!