The Beach

As a kid, I had enjoyed distant beaches on family vacations, but I live in a city, and had dismissed local beaches, presuming they were too spoiled by population pressures to have much to offer. Vicki loves beachcombing and enjoying the sea and its moods. So for her sake I took her to local beaches, expecting to be bored out of my brain. As I helped her beachcomb I was astonished by the variety of marine life I had never expected to be there. Now, I never cease to be grateful that so many different species of shells, seaweeds, crabs, starfish, and so on, can exist on a beach pressed tightly against a city.

Vicki kept wanting to return, and I kept thinking that this time it has nothing new to offer, and so often I’ve been proved wrong. Besides sunlight tidal and wave variations, the entire beach can be reshaped by the sea and wind moving who knows how many tons of sand.

For Vicki, one of the biggest attractions of the ocean is its vastness. She loves letting herself be overwhelmed by how much bigger it is than her and her problems. This reminds her of the vastness of God and becomes a significant source of peace for her.