The Jersey Shore, or Glimpses of the Resurrection

The shore is a place of Revelation to me. It’s a foretaste of what we will know in God’s re-creation. Fortresses of sand cross the beach line, their gates always open. They’re built with love and laughter. The joy is in the creation.

It’s a place where giggles escape.

It’s a place of games–paddleball, whiffle ball, football, frisbie, bocce, horseshoes. It’s a place where we remember to be child-like.

In this place, it matters not from whence you came or to where you go. It matters not your education or training. All that matters is your mutual joy and comaraderie. Strangers become fast friends.

In this place, we wear our delight like red carnations. And like Moses’ encounter with God, it fades slowly from our faces.

I taste the resurrection in the salt air, in the laughter, in the beauty, in the ever-changing and never-changing ocean.

 

 

And, I taste the resurrection in meeting friends. Lela lives in Moscow. I live in Dallas. We met online for a Soul Per Suit bible study. And we discovered that we were at Ocean City just blocks from each other! Lela walked down the beach.

And, of course, I taste the resurrection in the water ice (pronounced wooder ice).

Whales and Pirates

Next week, Chris and I will be on a cruise–my first ever.

Here’s what I’m excited about:

  1. Drifting on the ocean without a care in the world
  2. Seeing the sunset (and perhaps even a sunrise) without anything in the way
  3. Reading Moby Dick on the sea
  4. Pretending to be a pirate (while reading about them–I like to read thematically; in past years on the beach I’ve read Old Man and the Sea and Life of Pi; I’ve read Jan Huss and Jan Neruda, although not Kafka, in Czech–the country, not the language; I studied Cervantes in Spain).
  5. Putting my toes in the sand at the stops
  6. No cell phones
  7. Visiting water falls, rainforests, and stingrays
  8. Being Deborah Kerr with her elegant dresses (and maybe drinking a glass of pink champagne even though it’s not my favorite)–I have to say that my husband is even sexier than Cary Grant, and that’s saying a lot.
  9. Meeting interesting people from exotic lands who will no doubt find themselves in a book someday
  10. Seeing God’s beauty in a way I’ve never seen before

When I come back, I’ll carry on my story of the Transposing Culture symposium. Also, if you live in the Dallas area, Mary DeMuth will be joining our book club on Monday, April 21st to discuss her book, Watching the Tree Limbs. We meet at Christ Church Plano at 7:30 p.m.

My Non-Vacation

It looks like we’re not going to be able to go on vacation this year. We’ve been holding out hope that we’d be able to find some last minute deal, the kind at a crazy low price if you can be on the plane in an hour. But those deals are not to be found, and we don’t have the money for regular prices. It’s part and parcel to (1) living where we do, where you don’t have anywhere fun to go with a couple hour drive (in Jersey, we lived an hour from the Shore and three hours from the mountains) and (2) being in ministry (Chris) and having an odd assortment of jobs (me), none of which pay well at all.

I know. I shouldn’t complain. After all, I was able to spend time in Chicago this year. And I have an incredible husband who isn’t making me quit the fun stuff (writing, speaking, and teaching music) to find a "real" job and make us some money. But I’m not sure if I can survive a whole year without a glimpse of my beloved ocean (Robin, I’m counting on you for some sympathy here). I think it’s only happened once or twice in my life, and one of those times it was because I had spent the summer in Czech Republic teaching English, so that made up for it.
So, pardon me. I need to go mourn now.
P.S. Chris took that picture last year at Sanibel Island, where he took me as a surprise for our first anniversary.