Walking Along the Beach

My favourite place to walk is the beach. I love seeing the powerful waves, the frothy tips that kiss the shore, the unending deep ocean that goes as far as my eyes can see. I love hearing the waves crashing as they break, blocking out all the other noise that would distract me from being in this moment. As I walk along the sand, sometimes my feet sink and it becomes difficult to move forward, sometimes my toes feel the coolness of the water and sometimes the waves surround my ankles. It's as though all the stress of real life is a long way away.

My favourite beach is my refuge. It's where I go to be alone. A little over 20 years ago, when my mum was dying, I would come here. Here I could cry out to God. Here was a visible reminder of His power that is more powerful than the waves He created, His love that is deeper than the ocean and His presence that is unending. Every now and again I would see seaweed being tossed about in the waves and I would think about all the creatures lurking in the deep waters that I couldn't see. As I walked along the beach, sometimes I would pick up a shell and toss it back into the ocean. But it was here I knew that despite His awesome power and majestic ways, God still cared about me and for every tear I cried, He felt it too. Whether it be at that time or other times when I was hurting, this was my place to go.

Over the years I have walked along this beach with friends. Sometimes we would share the concerns and worries we were feeling, sometimes we would walk and talk, sometimes we would stop and play, making sandcastles, splashing in the water, laughing and just enjoying each other's company.

I have been to this beach and sat on the sand, thinking and reflecting.
I have sat at the picnic table and written fictional stories for fun.
I have eaten ice-creams in a cone as I've walked along the beach.
I have stood at the water's edge and breathed in the smell of the ocean, while the water danced over my toes.

In any weather, this is the place to be. When the sky is threatening and the waves seem stronger and more powerful, I can watch awestruck.
When the sun is shining brightly and the ocean is so pretty, I can feel lighthearted and positive about the future.
I can watch families playing beach cricket, throwing a frisbee, digging holes or having a picnic. I can watch fishermen stand on the shore and throw their lines out into the water hoping to catch something... anything. I can watch dogs run down to the water and throw themselves in, swimming over the waves and then coming back to shake it all out. And yet, there have been times when I am the only one there and my footprints are the only ones in the sand.

To this beach, I took Andy for our wedding anniversary yesterday and we walked along the beach together, hand in hand. We enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing, we laughed at the dogs playing and remarked about how kites must be made differently to when we were children because now, they stay in the air so easily. At one point, Andy walked into the water, faced down a wave and dived into it. When I told him about how I used to throw shells back into the ocean, he told me of a Charlie Brown comic where one of his friends scolds him for doing the same because, "Think of the hard effort it was for the shell to get here!" (or something like that.)

Walking along the beach is one of my favourite things to do and sharing it with people I love, makes it that much more enjoyable.

ABIDE

Just before the new year began, I completed a short quiz with multiple choice questions to learn of my 'word for the year'. I was skeptical about the simple choices and when I was given the word 'abide' I was disappointed. I wanted a word with fire, a word that would motivate me and encourage me. Words such as 'courage' or 'joy' or 'endurance'. After all, at the moment I am in a place of uncertainty, without a job and without being able to be settled, yet I want security and to be able to get on with living life to its fullest.

But the more I thought about the word, the more I liked it. Abide suggests an acceptance of 'circumstances' and being at peace through that time. I thought of the Bible verse, "If you abide (remain) in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7 I am not naive to believe that this means I can make up a wish list and that Santa Clause will give me all that I want but I do believe that at this time, (or any time for that matter) I need to remember that no matter what I am going through, I need to 'abide'.

When I go to open a packet/box of biscuits, cereal or other food and I read the words, "Open other end", I turn the box over and open at the 'right end'. Rarely do I 'rebel' and open the box the wrong way, so when I am given a word for the year, I take it on board. I looked up the word 'abide' in the dictionary and it said:

• to remain, continue, stay
• to endure, sustain or withstand without yielding or submitting
• to wait for, await
• to remain steadfast or faithful to; keep

That definition seems perfect for me, so "ABIDE" is my word for 2020.

As I look ahead from my present, I have no certainty of where I will be even at the end of this month. However, in this present, I need to abide. 

While I am waiting, my intention is to make the most of every day and get myself in order. I am not one who makes New Years resolutions, instead I resolve to keep moving forward. Therefore:
I am going to be healthier and walk every day. My resolve is to walk 10,000 steps daily and to meet the goal of walking 2020kms in 2020. 
I am going to write more often and write in my journal, daily. I may even write more at this blog or at my "Horses, teaching and other important things" blogsite. I might even begin to write the children's novel that I have always spoken about.
Perhaps I will take on another course. Andy has always laughingly suggested that I will take on more study....

Sadly, at the end of last year, only a couple weeks ago, my nephew passed away from a rare stroke. He had only just turned 19 and yet he had lived each day serving and loving others. None of us can control the amount of days we live but we can determine how we will live out those days.

ABIDE

Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Law of the Lord..
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither -- whatever they do prospers.