BOOK 08, CHAPTER 1, PAGE 12

The beach can teach us about God.

(this is of course, my favorite place to be)

Appreciating the lessons of the beach requires reflection on our part.  If you're not a beachgoer, or don't live anywhere near an ocean beach, substitute an element of nature you are familiar with, such as a lake, a river, the forest, a flower garden, perhaps a snow-covered mountain trail.

Nature's ability to teach us about God is certainly not limited to the beach. Open your eyes and hearts to what lies before you; listen for the whispers of God's presence; smell the rich aromas of ocean and shore. Listen for God's presence, to look for his footprint in the sand.

The physical and visual memories of the beach can be incorporated into your prayer life. Simply holding a shell or stone may help you recall God's presence in meditation. For some, the beach may be the start of a whole new life

Keeping a souvenir of the beach in your car can introduce an element of peace into an otherwise troublesome commute to work or school. A beach shell on your desk may help get you through a difficult work day. Hanging a favorite beach picture near the kitchen table may inspire a family prayer, especially when everyone is tired and tense.

Bits and Pieces taken from articles I’ve read.

I walked slowly out on the beach.

A few yards below high-water mark

I stopped and read the words again:

WRITE YOUR WORRIES ON THE SAND.

I let the paper blow away, reached down

and picked up a fragment of shell.

Kneeling there under the vault of the sky,

I wrote several words, one above the other.

Then I walked away, and I did not look back.

I had written my troubles on the sand.

The tide was coming in.

Arthur Gordon

Good Morning !

If you’ve been reading this journal you know that my favorite place to be is the BEACH. It is also a place that I rarely get to go to, except for in my mind, of course.

The beach is a place of serenity and total relaxation as far as I am concerned and when things get crazy around me, I often go on mental ‘trips to the beach’. We all need a place to go to so that we can unwind and rest.

I’ve gotten to the point in my life where rest is very important to me. Years back, rest was not even in my vocabulary as taking care of a large family and working left little time just to play.

One thing we did do for several years was to go camping on the weekends and vacations. Now, after almost 17 years, I’ll finally be getting back into that come Spring. This time around will be much more relaxing for me as I won’t have to look after and feed lots of people.

DS#1 and his wife and family and DD and her hubby will be camping right next door to me. That means I won’t everhave to cook. I’ll just have some of theirs. I’m sure the guys will make sure all is working properly at my campsite and keep the campfire burning too.

This will truly be a much needed resting place for me. The campground does have a swimming lake, so there will be some kind of beach there. While it is an inland lake, it won’t be the same as being by the seaside, but it is a beach trip that I can afford.

You’ll probably get tired of me talking about camping, but with any luck there will be many more stories to come of my little ‘place in the woods’.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Learning is about more than simply acquiring new knowledge and insights; it is also crucial to unlearn old knowledge that has outlived its relevance. Thus, forgetting is probably at least as important as learning.

Gary Ryan Blair

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES

and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart ! 

MA

 

 

 

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