a beach sabbath

(In Feburary, 2016 Pete & I spent 8 days on vacation in Ixtapa, Mexico. 
This is a reflection of that experience)

a beach sabbath

sitting on the beach

the angle of the afternoon sun

reveals stardust in the sand

tiny bits of bright shiny stars beneath my feet

and on the surface of the sea too

tiny bits of stars reflect back the light

the earth is breathing

a slight ocean breeze running through our lungs

teasing our hair, gently caressing our skin

the rhythm of the waves crashing 

echoes the heartbeat

i breathe deeply,

feeling even my fingertips relax

my main appointment of the day 

is to show up for the sunset

to sit up then and bear witness 

to the nearly unbearable beauty

of each day as it comes to a close

this is vacation

this is sabbath

this is rest, renewal down to the deepest molecule of my heart

it took some time to get to this moment

the first day I was still reading, checking emails

trying to catch up on even fun activities

by day three i was staring more and more 

at sand, the sea, the sky

an abashed, shameless staring

I can't and don't look away

I forgot my books, my list

I have no place to be, 

no need to be anywhere else

I don't know what we will do next

and it doesn't matter

by day six, that's today,

I have left most of my "activities" 

in our hotel room

my reading list can wait

the internet at the hotel stops working

almost as if the universe senses

our complete surrender

now sitting on the beach

the sand lures me with its patterns

and then the sparkling stardust there

catches my eye and then my heart

while i have forgotten the clock 

and the computer

i have remembered my connection to the universe

i have remembered my heartbeat

i have remembered the earth, the sun, the air and warmth

I am lost and found in this moment

connected once again to my soul

Keeping still long enough

Frenzy sometimes creates a necessity for discernment.

A hurried pace shakes up all the thoughts,
creating a muddy jumble of ideas, lists and places to be.
Prolonged busy-ness creates conflict of interest;
sometimes creating a haze around one's heart.
Our purpose and choice can be as clear as the ocean on a stormy day
or the river water churned up during a flood
full of mud and silt that we can not find the bottom or the top.

I've used this jar lesson before, a lesson borrowed from my favorite preacher, Pastor Stefan. You fill a jar with water and sand/dirt. You shake it up and then you set it down. The idea is to measure how long it takes for the water to become clear. The lesson is that it takes longer than you think. This particular jar took over a day to get all settled.

I think I get impatient waiting for the dust to settle and the water to become clear. As soon as things get a little clear i get hopeful and energized and begin to move fast again; jumping to conclusions. Soon I am right back to muddied waters again. Sometimes if I could just wait in silence a bit longer, the truth would be so much clearer.

Stillness is great but patience is needed too.

I'm thinking about words of wisdom from the Good Book again.

Be still and know.
Be still and wait on the Spirit of Love.

It reminds me of a song I used to sing as a kid (based on Isaiah)

Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with Wings as Eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
they shall walk and not faint
Teach me Lord, to wait.

So how do I want my life to be?
I'd like the clear clean water please.

Oh Spirit of Love, God of Peace

Teach me to wait in stillness.

may you each have a wonderful sabbath,

jules