June 12, 2017
Sand
It was a busy, start-at-3am kind of day. We’d planned on going to the beach but it was almost 6pm and I was still working. Unpacked boxes stacked in precarious towers in what would be the music nook – if we ever got the piano, drums, guitar, bass, and other assorted nose-makers from storage. The front room resembled tornado-aftermath footage; shoes without their organizer spilled from the single tomato box, book boxes sat about, awaiting the arrival of a bookshelf, folded clothes waited delivery on the couch, and the dogs, exhausted from barking at every neighborhood squirrel since noon, were sprawled out like black rugs.
I knew we’d been working all day, but while trying to conquer the nightly result of supper, a quick glance at the chaos that reigned was rather disheartening. It seemed that mood of disappointment had rubbed off on everyone. Toddlers and preschoolers generally act out when they are upset and the older ones appeared to feel like they’d worked all day for a vain goal (the beach).
The cool thing about Florida is that even an early April sunset is close to 7:30. The neat thing about technology is that everything for my business can be done from one phone; even on a busy night. A super thing about our crew is the ability to grab-and-go and pack the van in minutes.
We went to the beach. We hadn’t been to this beach since the previous summer, after Matthew (for non-Floridians, that’s “Hurricane Matthew”) when our beach spot was covered in debris. “Our spot is back!” Yelled Kimberly. We parked at our little spot (not legally ours, just where we always try to park) and the beach was beautiful. The beach is always beautiful here. It felt like my soul was refreshed just by walking in the sand. The water was Florida cold, but we’ll get in the ocean in mid-winter and love it. Lucas and I didn’t go deeper than ankles, but that was because I was dispatching and the surf was rough. (Lucas loves the rough surf when the water is warm, not a huge fan of it when it’s cold)
We spied fishing boats and Lucas showed everyone the stars as the brightest ones greeted the approaching night. We took several relaxing pictures. I realized I had been allowing the normal side-effects of moving to control my attitude. I should be more like sand; it moves, being formed and shaped by outside forces (kid’s hands, animal feet, car tires) but returns to normal easily. I should let God be the waves and smooth the roughness of my irritation and frustration away so I’m smooth and even again.
Smooth and even feels so much nicer than frustrated and irritated. I love how God uses His creation to remind me to slow down and enjoy life!
Thanks for reading!
Type at you later,
~Nancy Tart