Spring Break 2010

There's one reason I come to the beach:

Perspective.

There's something about walking along a vast expanse of frothing water, stretching out towards the horizon uninterrupted, that brings a sense of balance to my world.

As far as I can see, the sea undulates. I stretch my vision and my imagination towards the line of demarkation where sea and sky unite, and I get a better sense of my place in the world. It becomes obvious to me that I have spent too much energy thrashing about in a narrow tunnel of vision, that I have based my opinions and attitudes on far too little information.

At the edge of these United States, on the soft sand of this crystal coast, I find my place again and again and again.

I have some history here; I have returned many times, walked this beach and pondered great changes and challenges in my life. I have cried and conversed with God over things great and small.

And it always comes back to this: the world is his, and everything in it. In light of the depth of the ocean and the breadth of the horizon, I can see with what I know, in my soul, is a perspective fitting one who follows Christ.

Eugene Peterson, in his creatively energetic way, said it this way when he approached the 8th Psalm:

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way? Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.

My ears open to that echo when I am here. I am so grateful.

And now, past the introspection, to the fun; a few photos! Because, although perspective is indeed the driving motivation, there's also sand and sea and sun and more!

David checks out the water temperature; the air was warm, but the ocean?

Not so much!

We were hoping David's buddy Tripp could come with us - since he didn't make it, David created a sea turtle in his honor. I thought it was awesome!

David's favorite meal? Steak and corn. Yum.

We went to the Dairy Queen for a treat. I had $3 cash with me. David wanted a milkshake. With tax, the shake cost $3.11. Whoever heard of a $3 milkshake? Ridiculous. Anyway, the point was this - I was 11 cents short, but the DQ guy gave David the shake and said, "Just come back later with the eleven cents!" So, we did.

Reminded me of the time, several years ago, when I took the kids to spend our vacation savings ( a year's worth of change gathered in a jar ) to this same DQ for treats. We paid for $12 of ice cream in dimes, nickels and pennies.

Good times.

Since it was just the two of us, we splurged and rented two AWESOME bikes for the day. We rode about 90 minutes down the island and explored, along with two trips to DQ and a grocery store run. Loved these bikes!

That's David, up ahead. I'm balancing the bike and taking pictures. Multi-tasking...

It's been a great, short break. I'm grateful to the leadership of PCC that gives me grace to get away and recharge my batteries.

And now, we're headed home....