The Gifts I Received Today!

I'm at West Lido beach as I write this. I'm "taking in" the ocean. Tim and Luke are at a youth conference in Baltimore and so I have all this "free" time to do some things. The "things" I should do can wait because the beach is calling my name.

I love to go to the beach and just totally be there. I love to walk by the waves and look at every little shell that catches my eye and not feel rushed to leave. Well, there is no one rushing me today! And I'm loving every minute of it! It is incredibly magnificent! There are no words to describe how beautiful the weather is right now!

The beach is beautiful and the waves are crashing and the sky is blue and the breeze is perfect! I am relishing it all! And then I realize that being here is a beautiful gift to me. The ONE WHO made it all is enjoying it right along with me! HE is aware that I am delighting in all HE has made! And I know that pleases HIM!

God is here. I see HIS hand everywhere~~~The waves are dancing in delight as if they are raising their white caps to worship HIM! The blue sky backs them up with clarity and hue. The sea gulls join in with their song as they sail in the sky~~ The Sandpipers rush to and fro excited to be there~~~Just like me~!

After walking a while, I lay down on the sand and bask in the sun while the breezes flow over me. I listen to the beautiful rhythm of the waves as they hit the shore with a melodic beat. They lull me to a peace that is rare on this earth.I am aware how precious this time is. It is a sweet gift from my Holy Father. HE is always near but HE seems much closer when I come to the shore. It is a reflection of HIS power and how awesome HE is~~!

I think that God is a lot like the ocean. HE is powerful and majestic! HE is deep and beautiful! We cannot fathom HIM like we cannot fathom the deeps of the ocean. We try to fit God into our finite brains but we cannot do that any more than we can fit the ocean into a swimming pool! We try to understand HIM but we simply cannot. HE is too awesome to comprehend just as the ocean is too vast to contain.
I leave my bag and towel and take my phone and keys and set out to enjoy the shore. I walk for an hour and love every second of it. I see something in the distance and as I came closer to it, I realize that the large clump is a large group of Sandpipers just hanging out together. I have never seen anything like this before! There are about a hundred of them and they seem to be standing in lines.

There are some who are going in and out of the group but they do it in a very organized way. There seems to be a method to their madness~!
The ones coming in from the ocean go to the back of the group and the rest stay in place. The group grows bigger in the back. There are some who actually seem to be patrolling the group to be sure they are staying in line! It is awesome! I walk as close as I can to them without disturbing them and watch them for a long time! It is very entertaining because they are so cute!
Another gift!
I walk back enjoying the sun shining on my face and I feel like I am in my twenties again. I feel strong and thin and a little darker! This is a definite GIFT! I feel so good that I almost can't contain it.
As I drive home, I just can't believe the beauty of the weather! I walk my dog, Sugar, down the streets around my neighborhood and every tree is budding with beautiful flowers and the birds are singing in every bird language! I want to wrap my arms around the day and just hug it!
This is another gift!
God has just blessed my day so much. All HE has created HE wants me to enjoy. HE made everything for HIS pleasure-- and ours! HE delights in our delight. HE is the Giver of good gifts! And he certainly gave me some wonderful gifts today! I just want to hug HIM!

Thank YOU, FATHER!

carolrtexas2@aol.com