A Beautiful Lesson

A Beautiful Lesson--

I remember the day well.  It was sunny and warm.  I was enjoying one of my favorite places on this earth.  I was enjoying a walk on the beach along the Oregon coast.

As I walked, I listened and watched the waves crash onto the shore.  Some waves broke way out in the sea.  Others were swells until they almost kissed the dry sand.  Some were high and authorative.  Others were gentle and quiet.  Sprays of water laughed in the air above the surface.  Bubbles formed where the water and sand met.

It was beautiful.  It showed strength.  Yet it was vulnerable.  It was always changing.  I stood and marveled at the lesson I was being taught.  It was not a lesson I expected.  In fact, I expected no lesson at all. Yet, there it was.  The lesson I needed to learn.  This walk was about peace.  It was about breathing in nature and breathing out love.  Lessons come when we least expect them.

I was able to receive the lesson because my mind and spirit was in a receiving mode.  My mind was not racing with concerns.  It was calm and open.  Everything about me was peaceful.  Because of that, I was able to be open to the voice, the Spirit, that was trying to reach me.  Being calm is one of the most beautiful emotions yet it can be so difficult to attain.  Lives are pulled and pushed.  Sometimes they crash on the shore.  No peace.  No quiet.

So, I was grateful for the moments of silence.  I was grateful for the opportunity to be in this beautiful place by myself.  Had others been with me, I would have felt a need to communicate-to be present with them.  I do enjoy sharing special places with those I love.  But, sometimes I need the quiet to hear.  I need the silence to know.  To be refreshed.  To move forward.

I remember telling myself to listen well, to soak up the sounds and smells.  To store the memory away to be taken out when it was needed.  I always tell myself that.   The truth is I know it is not possible to do that.  My memory will be much duller than the actual experience.  The vivid colors of the sky and water will fade away.  The sounds of the sea will disappear.  The smell of the salt air will dissolve.  When it is all gone, I know it is time to make that trip again.  It is time to lose myself in the beauty and peace of that which fills my soul.

I will go to the sea again.  I will walk along the water's edge.  And my heart will be full.