Sunday, March 21, 2010

God called me to the sea...

The weather---overcast. The wind catches my shirt like a sail and its speed causes an incessant howl in my ears. I stand at the water's edge. The carpet of diminuitive shell fragments stretches for miles in either direction creating a boundry between me and the cool lapping of the surf.

I wonder if it is me or if I truly can see the subtle bend of the horizon reflecting the massive girth of the planet on which I stand. The blue-green sea is punctuated only by the foamy white caps adorning the curling waters.

I feel small, miniscule, powerless. Microscopic in the grandeur of the scene I stand in the presence of. I listen the the Earth breathe.  The gusting breeze reminds me that only a small increment in velocity could throw me to the dunes. I listen, I respect that.

I open my ears to the sounds before me, rare to me, a pleasure to me. The birds cackle and caw their songs almost appearing as laughter. They come suprising close. I like to think they long for fellowship. They long for sustenance of which I have none to offer.

Prayer is when we talk to God. Meditation is when we listen. I am all ears...

The smallness fades into a realization of a feeling of communion.

I now feel bigger...

A connection stirs in which an appreciation of a global fraternity in which I proudly am a member. All here feel the wind. All here feel the surf. Membership priveledges allow all to join in the beauty. No card necessary.

I realize I am not standing on the beach, but am part of the beach. For this moment anyhow. I enjoy my family even though I am temporarily planted in the sand here among strangers. Reminded that I do not have to be here to feel this way, I notice that it is indeed easier. The birds, the shells, the seaweed, the surf, the playing children, all friends, all family, all one, all of One.

I feel free. What is it about the vastness that allows us to feel free? Do we need the spaciousness to enjoy our own sense of self? Yet our self is not alone. We can be free in a crowd. We can be confined in solitude.

Freedom can enjoy the lack of encroaching duties and routines. Perhaps temporarily cleansing our schedules of having to look at time. Time we created to tell us where we feel we are supposed to be. Obligations. Do they distort us or connect us? This answer varies day by day.

I find me.

I find here in the deafening roar of the gusting wind, the silence I long for. I long to hear what I am supposed to hear. A message of comfort, of reassurance. Did I or do I have to come to the sea to hear the message? How far must I travel? Whom must accompany me, or whom must remain behind? The message is omnipresent. I often forget to turn my receptors on.

The me I find is the same me that is always there. The one that for some reason adds on the pounds of accumulating burdens and thoughts that adds weight to the load. I unshoulder the baggage. I drop it to the sand. Arms folded before me, eyes closed, I just breathe with the Earth. I listen. I listen good.

I don't need to always travel far to get the messages I need to hear.

"Relax a little."

"Everything will be okay."

"I am right here."

"You are loved."

I need to remember that. It doesn't hurt being by the ocean though.

I needed to hear today's sermon. I needed to feel small, big, free, and me. I needed to sit in nature's pew and be held captivated by the majesty unfurling before me. Sometimes it makes the lessons that much more indelible and enduring. I am thankful.

Today God called me to the sea...


(Sanibel Island, Florida  ~  Spring Break 2010)

7 comments:

Momma Fargo said...

Great post! I loved the part that meditation is when I listen to God...I'm all ears! This was wonderful...thanks for sharing.

Melissa said...

absolutely beautiful, Tony!

Anonymous said...

Ahh... you spoke my heart.

In this post, you took your readers on a journey, because I could feel the sand between my toes.

Great post :)

Katherine Jenkins said...

Very nice Tony....sometimes stepping out of the daily grind can make us hear our heart sing again. It's easy to lose that silence and peace that nature brings when we step away from nature and step into our lives. We always have it with us, but we can't always hear it. Enjoy your Spring Break!

Timberwolf123 said...

The beauty of the world around us especially in the vastness of incredible landscapes can be truly inspiring. I found if I keep the thoughts of these places in my soul, I can return whenever I need to. By doing this I always reminded how much I am loved & that by letting go everything will be alright.

Thanks for a beautiful moment.

hugs,

Bill

Marika said...

nature always speaks to me to...especially the sea...but also the forest...

lovely post!

Marcie J said...

Tony! We visited Sanibel Island on thursday (March 19)! I thought I sensed you there :) The beach is so very covered in shells, isn't it? I felt the same as you did - feeling one with the Gulf and with with everything whenever I took a moment to meditate with my feet in the water - interesting sensation. We spent our time in Indian Rocks beach north of St. Pete's - absolutely lovely and refreshing despite the cooler weather - hope you had a lovely time as well. (The traffic in Florida is completely another thing...)
~m.