monstrous waves & minuscule wonders

as i sit here and reflect about our day spent at the beach in the most picturesque setting, i am captivated by the wonder of creation.

today we stood in the ocean as giant waves spilled down into the tides and captured us in their fullness of water avalanches. at times we went with the flow and enjoyed the ride, but most often we were overpowered by their magnificant strength and those waves took our breath away. literally.

it seemed like the worst of timing when as soon as we caught our breath, randy yelled "watch out!" and another wave overtook us. recovering from the beatings took time and energy, to stand, refocus, wipe our eyes free of the saltiest water, and prepare ourselves for another rolling hit... all while laughing with each other by the somethings that were found so hilariously funny.

after stinging eyes and noses and legs tired of fighting the pressure of such a strong current, we gave in to that ocean and let it take us into the beach where we stood and walked the way back to our reserved spot on the sand. we then laid on our towels, soaking up the sun and allowing our drips to dry by the heat of the day. families near us were building extravagent castles of sand, babes were cooing and snuggled so close to their mamas, some kids were digging holes and playing... and i laid there breathing and taking it all in. the greatness of family, of love, and of friendship. i ran my fingers through the sand and realized the wonder that existed all around me - the wonder of beaches... known for having big blue skies overhead, sunscreen covered children running around, rays of sun pouring down, colorful displays of towels and toys, the creamiest white stand beneath your feet, and the edge of the vast sea flowing in.

some time later, we retreated to our condo and found a few clusters of green seaweedy moss clinging to our skin and some sand granules remaining in between our toes that had come home with us. so we showered those beach souvenirs away and said our official goodbyes to the ocean and sand for the day.

and even though we're clean now, and even though our footprints have surely been washed away from the sand... our memories of fighting with the monster that is the gulf of mexico and laying ourselves out to dry under the big sky above, all while taking in the creativity of our God and the beauty of his work, will forever be with us.