Dear Friends,
Happy Fourth of July! Oh, wait…that was two months ago…we’re now somehow past Labor Day! Time tends to sneak up on us. Do you feel the summer went too quickly or not quickly enough? I love summer but I also love autumn, and spring, and even parts of winter. I think what I truly love is the change of seasons as I find it renewing, although sometimes poignant, occasionally regretful. But the freshness of a new season, that’s what I love!
I continue to spend some time at the beach until it gets too cold. It’s lovely to go down to the almost deserted beach, the sunsets are even more stunning this time of year and the waves never disappoint. There are surfers throughout the year (real surfers, not just posing for a photo op like SOME people!).
Walking the beach, I love to see all the footsteps and tracks in the sand, some human, some seagull, some I wonder about.
When walking to the water’s edge, there’s always that point where your balance gets a bit wonky by the pull of the ocean and the water comes up to gently caress your feet. As it rushes back you feel the pull, and it’s always surprising to me how strong that feels. That’s when we hold firm and dig our toes in and just hang on.
Okay, here comes the analogy. We all have times in our lives of great calm and beauty but also times of turmoil and danger. We experience great joy washing over us and we’re smashed with waves of grief and sorrow, we see a giant wave approaching and we’re frozen with fear, we dig our feet in and we struggle to keep our balance. That pull we feel, the off balanced sensation, that reminds us to hold on.
With all the footsteps and footprints around us, we need to keep our eyes on our own path, and walk with sureness, confidence, and faith. And when the waves hit, we need to dig in, dig deep to where our faith awaits and then to let that healing power of the Holy Spirit do its thing – wash over us, amaze us, strengthen us, delight us, tickle our feet, and okay, full disclosure, sometimes knock the wind out of us.
As we begin this new season together, let’s walk together. See you in church!
Deacon Denise