A beach’s blessing comes in many forms.
After months of busyness culminating in a four-day conference, I felt exhausted.
Tired in mind, body, and soul.
My husband wisely reminded me I needed a day or two off.
So, after the Savannah conference, we went to Tybee Beach, Georgia.
Ah.
I needed that.
Did it have to be the beach?
While I am a native of Southern California–and grew up three miles from the shore–I’ve never been a beach babe.
We often visited the beach, but the Southern California waters are cold.
The water’s warm in Georgia.
Besides, I just needed to “defrag” my brain and do nothing.
Tybee Beach’s blessing was all I had to do was sit and stare.
So, I did.
And nature helped by being simply glorious–both mornings.
What else happened?
Nothing.
That was the point.
We sat in lounge chairs under a striped umbrella. I watched waves roll in and out.
People strolled past.
Children dashed in and out of the surf. A parasailor flew past.
Ships slowly crossed the horizon.
I read a chapter in my book.
Closed my eyes, listened to the waves, felt the breeze, and relaxed.
Exactly what I needed.
Or, as Anne Morrow Lindbergh explained in Gift from the Sea:
The beach is not the place to work; to read, write or think.
I should have remembered that from other years . . .
No reading, no writing, no thoughts even–at least, not at first. . . . Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.
One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach–waiting for the gift from the sea.
Gift from the Sea; pages 15-17
Ending the day
The beach’s blessing–gorgeous weather–didn’t end at the shore.
We went for a cruise to spot dolphins. (Click on link to see video).
They obliged.
Another evening, another beach’s blessing
Three days later, we walked another beach, this time at sunset further north.
We weren’t far from where Anne Morrow Lindbergh lived.
While still tired, I could savor this Connecticut beach without a word because my husband and a friend shared a robust conversation.
Sometimes I added a word or two.
Mostly, I breathed in the beach scent, strained to hear bird calls, and just feel the moment.
I could examine colorful rocks, ponder the diving birds, admire the tall grasses, and say nothing.
I still needed that.
We strolled a quiet empty beach where small waves curled onto the shore and terns dove into the Sound for fish.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few. One moon shell is more impressive than three. There is only one moon in the sky.”
I limited myself to three small stones–one orange and two speckled granite,
Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “I walked far down the beach, soothed by the rhythm of the waves . . . the wind and mist from the spray on my hair.”
Then we climbed the soft sand and returned to the house.
Honestly, those two days at the beach lulled my soul back to something that felt normal for the first time in months.
A beach’s blessing is always special, but that extended weekend I got two.
Amen.
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Quiet, calm, and beautiful: a beach’s blessing for a tired soul. Click to Tweet
Beatiful photos and words, Michelle. There is nothing quite like being in God’s creation and the beach especially at dawn and dusk are so beautiful. Thank you for these.