Well, I’ve been in this “new season” for four years so I feel it is time to write about what I have gleaned so far. This season, at the coast, has been rich with wisdom and purpose. I have been reunited with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We reconnected after ten years as if we were never apart for ten years. That proves that friendship can stand the test of time.
I have checked off multiple bucket list items such as daily beach walks, parasailing and amassing quite a shell treasure collection. I have learned about the strong pull of the moon on tides and people, as well as, about coastal birds, plants and shells. I have seen the worst and the best in people as tourists flock here, being rude and leaving their trash everywhere and members of this small town often coming alongside of each other during storms and in time of need.
I have seen God’s hand everywhere and feel His presence clearer than ever as I walk and sit on the beach. I have always felt closer to Him here and realized that this fact and childhood memories have pulled me here after all of these years. This is home, not specifically this town but the coastal area. My heart has always lived here but it took me almost 60 years to get back here. My best childhood memories are at the beach. Somehow the chaos of home was escaped here, even with my family. I felt it as my Dad fished from the surf and often would pull in dinner. I felt it when my cousin and I would laugh and play in the water, on the sand or whereever we found ourselves. Even my mother, who was always angry over something, seemed to relax a little and make us special treats which we only got at the beach. I would record the ocean on my little cassette recorder and take home shells so I could always hold on to the beach but it never lasted.
Beautiful childhood memories that had faded have come back to me here. The best times of my childhood were here. I was happy. I was free. I was and I am, home again. I think this is what heaven will be like, a place you know but don’t remember until you get there. Thank you Father for giving me the desire of my heart and the real meaning of coming home.
tobiemabesmith 