After the Storm: The Beach as a Metaphor for Life

I love the beach! The sound of the surf seems to me to be the heartbeat of the earth. And when I'm walking the beach, I almost always start thinking about it as a metaphor for life: its quiet times, its upheavals, its blessings and challenges.

What's going on in your life right now? Are you in the calm with the sun shining and clear, starry nights? Is your little boat floating gently on a quiet sea? Or are you in the midst of a storm with buffeting winds and teeming rain? Or is it even worse with a raging tornado bearing down on you as you race for cover? Life can deal with us roughly. Our boats can be tossed on waves that threaten to capsize us any minute.

Do You Know Where You're Going?

I don't know about you, but when I travel I reflect a lot on the journey -- not just the journey on the ribbon highway stretching ahead of me -- but the real journey. The only thing that really counts in life is getting to the goal and the goal for each of us is heaven.

Why did God make us? To know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him in the next. That's the goal. But how many in today's world know it? How many have been taught by their parents that everything has a price. The price of heaven is loving God and desiring His will. The price of living as if there is no God and no heaven is probably to lose it in the end. What a tragedy! To trade eternity for the finger snap of this life.

Peter Claver whose feast day is today knew what was important. He devoted his life to serving God's most wretched, the slaves on the ships coming from Africa. How many would go into those stinking holes to tend to the suffering? Few! but Peter Claver did. He tended to the sick and dying and baptized tens of thousands who lived lives of suffering but died like angels.

Many of the saints encourage pondering on the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Thinking about those things helps to keep one's mind focused on what really matters.

Today, Larry and I visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. None of us is alone on the journey. The shrine was filled with reminders that we have many helpers to guide us along the way. Statues of some of my favorite saints were there: Maximilian Kolbe, St. Jean Vianney, St. Clare, St. Francis, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Joseph. There is no excuse not to reach the goal with friends like that to help us.

May we offer each day to the Lord and live it for Him.

Beach Interlude

My favorite beach is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's very much a family community. If you want honky-tonk glitz head to Atlantic City, NJ. You won't find it on the Outer Banks. We used to go almost every year when our kids were little, camping until we got hit by a hurricane, renting a cottage after that. Unfortunately we don't go so often now. In fact, we hadn't been to any beach for three years. I only realized how much I missed the sound of the surf and the sea breezes when our youngest asked if we would go to the Outer Banks with her family.

What a beautiful week! We had continuous sunny days and mostly clear nights and almost always a refreshing breeze off the ocean. A wildfire on the mainland which is only 80% controlled because of burning peat in the bogs, only made its presence known a few times when the wind blew from the land. We delayed a trip to the sand dunes at Jockey Ridge one night because the smoke was eye-stingingly unpleasant and who wants to inhale all that smoke, especially when one of your party is pregnant?

Larry and I rented bikes and rode to morning Mass since the church in Kitty Hawk was only a mile and a half from our cottage. Speaking of the cottage, it was only a short walk to the beach and since it was early season the shared cost per night was about the same as staying at a cheap motel. We drank our morning coffee sitting on the front porch swing with a little almost-three-year-old chirping between us. And speaking of chirping, our morning entertainment was a mother cardinal who kept trying to chase away her rival in the car's side mirror. The birds were a pleasure all week -- a great blue heron along our bay bike ride, mocking birds shouting the news from the highest tree tops and a little finch who sat on the telephone pole every morning warbling so loud we could hardly believe so much music could come from such a tiny body.

Sitting on the beach and watching the waves is one of the most conducive atmospheres for meditation. "Come away with me to a quiet place," Jesus said to his disciples. I felt that personal invitation as we walked or sat on the beach praying our rosary. I brought a book to read, but often just sat quietly watching and listening to the waves saying with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

Too often we let the busyness of life at home distract us from what's important -- living for heaven. The Outer Banks is a little bit of heaven on earth. If you've never been there, I highly recommend it. Fly a kite, visit the Wright Brothers Museum and Jockey's Ridge, eat some wonderful seafood, ride a bike to Duck Doughnuts for a great treat, and praise God for the wonders of His world. Despite so much madness in our world, there is still so much good. You can see it on the Outer Banks.

For more photos of our beach interlude go here.