The ocean seems a little angry today. This part of the gulf coast at Gulf Shores, Alabama, known as the “Emerald Coast,” is anything but jeweled this morning. Heavy, gray clouds crouch just beyond reach at water’s edge, like vast, misty doors opening into another world. I can understand why early explorers were afraid to venture toward the clouds for fear of dropping off the face of the earth. The water goes on forever.
Foamy, white waves are slapping the sand, reaching deep onto the beach, then rolling slowly back into itself, taking tiny bits of the earth with it, only to return with treasures both God-made and man-made.
On Day Four of our beach vacation, the ocean is yelling its secrets to me rather than the soft whisper of the waves that I dream of during the cold, winter months at home. As I perch on the balcony of our sixth floor vacation home, coffee cup in hand, I am still a bit sleepy after a restless, stormy night seaside, but anxious to savor the quiet morning time with one of God’s most beautiful creations. The ocean has many faces – tranquil, powerful, fearsome, healing, calm, beautiful, and mighty. I want to see them all.
We city folks spend thousands of dollars to leave our asphalt and concrete lives for a brief love affair with the ocean. Some of us timidly stick a toe into the very edge of it while others boldly dive into the cool depths of it. We hear the sirens of the sea; taste the saltiness of it as it splashes our faces like the fat tears of the broken-hearted.
From my concrete perch above the palm trees, I can see a family - mother, father, sister and baby brother – all dressed in white, posing for the camera, a permanent reminder of a family beach vacation. Their whiteness - bleached t-shirts and white shorts for the boys; flowing linen dresses for the girls – turns the naturally white sandy beach into a smooth, beige backdrop, much like a perfect white pearl hidden in an ancient oyster shell.
From the un-naturally green patch of sod below my balcony, I hear the mantra of the spirituality seekers performing seemingly impossible Yoga stances, quietly, frantically searching for peace and tranquility while I sit gazing out into God’s masterpiece and finding it there.
Early morning, while my family is still sleeping the sleep of vacation, is my favorite time of the day; the reason I love time away from my busy life. This is not just a time of relaxation, but also a time of reconnection and renewal, reminding me once again what is honest, true and real.
I could sit here forever – seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing…….believing. I hear one bedroom door opening, then another. Water running, refrigerator opening, the eternal sound of the television comes on – another busy day begins. But, I have three more mornings to share secrets with the sea, and I’ll be here bright and early because I don’t want to miss a thing.
