Dreaming of sand between my toes and people that hold my heart while remembering the wisdom gleaned from my last trip to the beach for a family reunion.... little nuggets in no particular order and of varying importance, cut off at the magic number of 26.
1. God meets me in this place because He knows here, His truth will overcome my stubborn heart and saturate my soul… no matter what… every. single. time.
2. A servant’s heart does not truly get a vacation until Heaven… and the beach is the best place to serve!
3. It takes more than 3 people to carry towels, sand toys, water toys, an Exersaucer, sunscreen, iPods, books, Kindles, games, activities, snacks and drinks for 9 children and their parents a mere 30 yards.
4. Kids do get tired of the sand… eventually.
5. Salt water mixed with sand in little eyes produces the loudest screaming pitch I’ve heard yet in my nearly 7 years of motherhood.
6. Clear ocean water is like pure wisdom… you know exactly what you’re swimming with and how to proceed.
7. You can never have too many seashells, especially when you are 6.
8. Men need to be taken out of their familiar, everyday environment to actually relax and let go.
9. Getting up early on vacation is worth finding solitude on the sand to be serenaded by the harmony of His creation.
10. Little boys need designated boundaries when swimming in the ocean. Little girls do not.
11. Running on the beach barefoot at the shoreline is absolutely worth 3 days of sore calves, though it should not take such measures for the adult heart to live so abandoned.
12. Having my nieces and nephews under one roof is a rare gift… 7 times over. O, our little conversations about big things are my forever treasures.
13. Women in the kitchen can rock a meal for 25 people any day of the week… or every day of the week.
14. Sand is like a stalker… it lurks in unexpected places.
15. A life vest will only keep me from drowning but I can still be lost at sea. Trust the One who knows the Way, not in my abilities to prevent immediate disaster, and follow Him no matter the cost.
16. Tile floors create the best acoustics… even at 5:30 AM.
17. Ice cream and a Coke taste best on the beach. Well, not together... well, maybe.
18. Some swimsuits should be illegal to sell… especially to men.
19. I love stealing kisses with the man who was brave enough to ask that simple question all those years ago. But on the beach is my favorite!
20. The smell of the salt water mixed with trade winds and humidity grabs hold of my little girl heart full of childhood memories and people that are nearly unreachable otherwise.
21. My kids look even smaller in the ocean.
22. Family is not defined by blood lines. Family is defined by relationships.
23. Sitting in the sand, meditating on the truth that God’s love is greater than the sea while staring at the unending ocean interrupting the sky is soul surfing on waves of humility.
24. An orchestra of sounds can fill the air yet God still quiets my heart to speak intimately to me… to be the unmistakable Voice in the wind.
25. Some days feel like high tide days and some days feel like low tide days. But every day, the Tide is present and moving. And, I can find rest in His tide of faithfulness.
26. God’s love crashes over each of us with great power and tenacity. But we have to walk to the shore line of His grace to be refreshed, to feel His love. Sitting in the beach house watching Living Water from a distance does nothing to quench our souls.
