Getting Out There -October 25, 2021

It’s day 23 and the first day the sunrise didn’t call me out of bed to take its picture. A cloudy start to the day but the sun is starting to peek through the clouds. Gosh, the weather here is so hard to take!

It was a surprising and busy weekend. There are so many things I want to do here (mostly that involve the beach) that it is challenging my physically to push myself a little more. I don’t always have good results but I am surprising myself. A huge accomplishment for me is going back to Mass. Not only have I been able to do that, but I am joining Paul for food shopping after, which I cannot always do. It's a large, beautiful church and has recently been refurbished. I marvel every week at the packed pews and the amount of activities this parish hosts.

Add that to the fact that we ran errands on Saturday to get Paul Tevas at Bealls (by the way I love this store) and for me to shop a bit, something I never do at home, I did a lot. This store has all the casual, loose fitting beachy clothes I like that I can’t find at home. Plus, a shelf of key lime cookies. Unfortunately I saw these after I checked out. A reason to return. After Bealls, we stopped at a thrift store so I could pick up books and then on to the post office. More time on my feet. Yes, by Sunday my legs and feet were screaming but I wasn’t limping. I’ll take it.

Paul and I spent some time on the beach discussing possible retirement. This is one of our most discussed topics. It’s a big decision and we want to make sure it is the right one for us at this time. This is a pretty good place to slow down and ask ourselves what we want our life to look like going forward and what are we willing to sacrifice to get it? I was reminded….

“Work has a purpose, play has none, but there must be time in life for purposeless things.”

-Fulton Sheen

We continue to be amazed at how deserted this long stretch of beach is and that we are the only two people sitting in beach chairs today for as far as we can see.

After dinner, the beach and sky call me and I must go out for a short walk. I have a need to talk to Jesus and I feel him most present on the shore, gazing into the horizon as the clouds turn pink and the sky turns gray. It’s here that I unleash my fears, my wants and my “I don’t understands.” It’s also where I shout my praise and my gratefulness for all the blessings He has bestowed on me and the incredible, astonishing fact that I am actually here. I know the answers and the peace will come during these three months.