This morning I woke up feeling so happy, joyus. I have the luxury of taking my time waking up, making coffee, oatmeal, washing clothes. Around me the woods outside my window are alive with the sounds of birds greeting the day. It is another beautiful sunny early fall day here.
Yesterday, after church we packed a small bag of carrots, apples and water and drove to the coast. It was one of those sunny days where the skies echo their blue in forever shades of color. I took a young grandson with me and together in the luxury of my beloved Ford truck we rode along listening to music, enjoying the beauty.
Once at the coast I let him choose where we would go, Long Beach? Seaside? Fort Stevens? He wanted to go to Fort Stevens and to drive to the end of the beach access road to where you can get to the mouth of the Columbia River. We drove, parked and went to the wildlife viewing platform. There you can walk the beach that hugs the shore next to a small bay that is home to the old railroad trestle from where they used to haul huge bolders to make the jetty. Across the water we could see the smoke from the Civil War re-enactment that was happening at the Fort.
The sand on the beach was white, warm and inviting. We walked a ways enjoying the view and I found a comfortable log to lean against and let the sun caress my tired body. He called to me, "Gramma, look there are hundreds of jelly fish here, come look!" I got up and walked over to him and looked in the water, hundreds of icky (to me) jelly fish, murky white filled the shallows. We explored further. The beach was littered with the dead bodies of jelly fish. The further we walked around the peninsula of the bay the more jelly fish there were. Wierd, in all my years of going to this beach I've never seen this before.
Rounding the curve of the beach the mightly Columbia River greeted us with it's lapping waves. Here and there fishermen dotted the shore. We hiked until we reached another trail that wound back to the parking lot. Once at the truck I let him choose where we would go next. He wanted to go to the ocean overlook. There we climbed the large wooden structure that allowed us to watch the surge of the waves hit the jetty and the miles long expanse of shorline. In the distance, across the river we could see a Washington lighthouse and the muted blue-green of the Washington hills. We enjoyed our perch for a long time, taking in the waves and beauty, the sheer expanse of ocean breath-taking in its splendor.
Finally, he tired and said, "Let's go there." Pointing North to the trail that follows the jetty to its intersection of ocean and river. We walked, today not for fittness, but just for fun, enjoying the sheer pleasure of being outdoors on a fantastic, perfect day. To the right, a stream flowed under the huge jetty rocks to the ocean. Apparently, at high tide the water comes in under the jetty and makes a lake some hundred yards off. "Let's explore." I told him and we waded through the stream to the lake, surrounded by waving sea grasses, and dense cover of some kind of spongy moss. The water was crystal clear, cool and inviting. When we reached the lake, large holes appeared in the bottom. Mental visions of large crab-like creatures filled my mind and I looked a little more carefully where I stepped. Finally to the other side of the lake we found a elk trail and followed it through the sea grasses to the large sand dune bordering the mouth of the Columbia. The view from the top was something to remember a lifetime. The sun, the river, the ocean waves, really so much beauty. We walked down to the beach and I found another comfortable log to rest against.
I lay there, nestled in the sand, letting the sun bathe away the cares of the week. Near four in the afternoon, flocks of blue herons kept flying over-head. It looked as if they were on course to visit the Washington shore. Elegant, long-beaked, graceful they flew. Sometimes in a v formation, sometimes in long lines strung against the backdrop of river and ocean.
My grandson found rocks, and interesting driftwood and peacefully explored. On the river, a white and green tugboat pulled a large barge towards the ocean. Finally, having baked in the sun we decided to hike back to the truck. Interesting rocks littered the sandy trail next to the jetty and I spied a large blue one I wanted for my flower bed. It weighed probably 40 pounds. Too heavy for me I asked him to carry it. Together we trudged, the roar of the surf pounding the jetty so close on the other side.
At the truck I asked, "Do you want to go anywhere else?" "No," he answered, "not today." We drove home, munching carrots, drinking water just enjoying the calm.
Days like that day are one of the ways we can rest our souls for the harder times of life. No agendas, no must do's, have to do's, just peaceful and restful. A goal oriented, project making person it's difficult for me to just rest. So much of me wants to go, go, go. But I know God has set the one against the other.
In the Old Testament story of creation, I like the part where God created the seventh day, and then rested. Taking time, if possible each week to set aside time to relax allows me mentally and physically to rejuvenate, to recharge. I didn't design the plan, God did, and the more I follow this, the more I get excited about my week and life.
So now, with even an extra day because of Labor Day I am rich with time. Having rested yesterday I am full of energy and desire to tackle projects, to clean, straigten and bring order before the week ahead. The Bible teaches that the Sabbath, or Sunday should be a day of rest, maybe if I followed that more I would discover a better quality of life. I know this week, I feel great!
"Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." Genesis 2:3
To those of you who long for a Sabbath rest, I encourage to set apart time to just relax, to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and to renew your mind and spirit. May your days be filled with purpose, your mind with peace and your life with love. Take care.............. God hears and answers prayers.
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