Oftentimes the month of December is (overly) consumed with preparations for family and holiday activities.
No matter how many ways I tried to persuade myself to get away this December it was the case again that no spare time was made for escaping ... not even for a day.
One of these years I'm going to get that figured out and right in the middle of the Christmas hoopla a day will be spent lolly-gagging and splashing my feet in the cool waters.
Although I'm remembering, as I write, the extra-long December weekend a couple of years ago when all of us... the kids and their kids ... stayed in a large house together on the Atlantic coast. Treasured times! We had a blast.
But that was different. It was a plan and that type of scheduling always works better for me.
Florida had such an abnormal cold spell just as the new decade turned a page on the calendar.
But as our faithful Florida weather returned with a warming trend the last few days a drive to the beach was in order. Oh. so. needed.
It wasn't the clearest, most pristine afternoon.
Regardless, it was SO good to feel that wintery sand under our feet. Mr. Meems and I concurred we don't think we have ever felt the sand so cold. Stands to reason. The Gulf had reached record low temps as had the climate around us.
The winter months are simply delightful for strolling the shoreline with thoughts adrift and wandering. Or, as some would rather, lying on a blanket staring into the sky taking in the wonder of it all. Or just sitting in a chair reading a good book or magazine with toes squishing the cool, sugary white earth.
Paying attention to the changes in seasons one will see subtle differences in the plantlife and birdlife along the Gulf of Mexico.
Each visit promises a brand new and uniquely breathtaking skyline. You just never know how all the elements will come together to delight your senses.
But if you happen to be a lover of the sand and sea there are a few certainties about a visit to the gently lapping shore.
The beauty and wonder of the vistas provided will most assuredly soothe a weary soul, lift a troubled heart, avert selfish endeavors, center one's being and turn one's eyes to heaven.
Thankful and humbled by God's endless mercy toward each one of us.
Thankful and humbled by God's endless mercy toward each one of us.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand...
Psalm 139:17-18
7 comments:
Beautifully written and beautifully photographed...what a lovely way for me to start my day with those inspiring thoughts and images.
Nanamoo,
So good to hear from you... hope your Christmas holidays were full of family and wonder!
oh this makes me long for a sunny afternoon stroll on the beach. there is nothing like the lapping waves, smelling the briney air, and having your footprints washed away by the next incoming wave.
that for sharing so i could at least get my virtual beach fix.
happy january.
I am so glad you had a good relaxing vacation. The photos are wonderful~gail gail
Marmee,
It was a much needed breather in the midst of the mess the well drilling was making. :-) Mr. Meems knows just what's needed to settle my soul. A day on the sandy shores reminds me WHO has me in the palm of His hands.
Gail,
Hey. Thanks for dropping by over here. It wasn't exactly a vacation but a day away is just as valuable sometimes. Beng at the beach transports me worlds away from everyday life.
Lovely post.
The photos on this post are awesome. For those of us that stuck in the UK it is painful to see photos of this quality. I would move to Florida in a heart beat as I love the place. But here I am stuck in the rain and the cold in a country where If a New Record is broken in warmth then we may get near a normal Florida Summer days weather.
You dont know how lucky you are, to walk on a warm beach, golf course or anything like that. The problem we have is that the weather messes up every thing. Here is an example of one such post I saw, my brother is just starting as a golf pro and he came over to Florida for a couple of weeks ago to play in some tourenement, here is a review of his round of Orange County National and it paints such a great picture of a golf course in Florida. Whilst he was playing this round IT SNOWED in England..... Not fair :(
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