Heaven on earth

Today was a truly spectacular day on the Cape – sunny and in the low 70s.  My day started with a lovely breakfast of fresh pineapple followed by buttermilk pancakes.  Yum!  Donna made another batch of molasses cookies, and I admit I took two for a snack later (actually, they were sort-of lunch).  Yum again.

Since this is likely to be the warmest day here, I went up to my favorite beach in the National Seashore – Marconi Beach.  First, I took a long walk south on the beach.  The waves were fabulous… the surf-boarders were out in force.  The beach itself was pretty deserted – it was very peaceful and powerful.

 
Early morning sun and clouds and waves (and feathered friends) at Marconi Beach.

After my walk, I fetched my beach chair and sat near the waves to journal and to read for a few hours.  Reading on the beach is one of those experiences of pure bliss.  It was too breezy for the beach umbrella, so despite the sunscreen, I got a bit of color on my face (although it could just as well be windburn). 

Watching waves crash is a mesmerizing pastime.  I love the way that a fine spray flies back off the top of a wave just before it dives into itself and dissolves in a huge froth of splashing foam.  It’s wild to see occasional splashes of waves going out – they smack into the waves coming in and throw up a snap of water that seems to come from nowhere.  When a big wave comes in, you see the dark line building and then a beautiful green bottom-up waterfall that finally turns on itself.  Sometimes, just for a moment, the sound seems to stop and you look up and notice that there are no waves – the water is all green with an abstract pattern of white froth on top, but it’s quickly over as the rhythm of the waves starts again.  Just amazing.

   
Many moods of the sea…

After the tide went out, I took another long walk north on the beach.  There were these cute little birds (terns? – they look like 4-inch seagulls) that apparently eat creatures that get stirred up in the waves.  But they don’t like getting their feet wet, so they’re constantly running away from the edge of the waves.  So funny to see these tiny birds with their little legs going super fast as they run along the beach.

 Run, little birdies!

After 2 pm, I decided to head out before I really got sunburned – and I went down to Chatham to do some window-shopping.  The wind really picked up, or else it was always a bit more brisk in that neck of the woods, but I was glad I wasn’t trying to sit on the beach anymore.  I went for a late lunch / early dinner at the ritzy Chatham Bars Inn, where I sat on the wide veranda feeling a bit like a lady of the manor.   I had a simple panini (which wasn’t as good as the view). 

View from the veranda…   

I got back in the Brewster neck of the woods in time for sunset on Paine’s Creek Beach, and now I’m hanging out in my room…  great day.

  
Sunset…

I’ll leave you with this thought…

One of our priests, Russ Bohner, once told me to think of all the voices in your head like a hundred different threads – and it’s our job to find the one voice  that is God’s voice (I called it the “red thread” since that’s my favorite color).  Today I found another metaphor about listening to God.

I think God’s voice can be heard in the sound of the ocean’s waves.  The get-your-attention clap of the breakers crashing – the quiet gurgling whisper as the waves reach further onto the beach – the huge intake of breath as the water recedes – the sustained low rumble of a long wave collapsing from end to end – and sometimes the eerie quiet of no waves for just a moment. 

I think God lives at Marconi Beach.  Today I listened to Him.  I haven’t quite figured out what He’s saying, but I listened.

  Heaven on earth…