“Life is like the ocean, it can be calm or still, and rough or rigid, but in the end it is always beautiful,” Anonymous. My friend and I went down to the beach this morning, sat in our beach chairs, a light silver rain was kissing the sand and the shore birds were frolicking right in front of us. We enjoyed the little Snowy Plovers running down the beach, speeding along on their slender legs, lined up like thoroughbred race horses. A flock of 30 raced by and I could hear my cousin Blake with the race track commentary, announcing the birds’ names and the lanes they were racing in…“The plovers have reached the starting gate, and… they’re off. In Lane One is Lessie Plover followed by Lester Plover in Lane Two, in Lane Three Luke Plover is boxed in and cut off by Lacey Plover. Coming up fast from the backstretch is One Leg Lumpy….I started laughing and the rain started pouring down, the wind pelted us with sand pellets, and we just sat there in the rain mesmerized by the New Smyrna Beach Bird Derby. I love birds!

The waves are strong and pounding on the beach this morning, dragging the sand back to the deeper waters, leaving little ripples in the beach. The clouds are dark gray and purple centered on the horizon, contrasting with the thick vanilla overcast sky. Mr. Milton the Hurricane is already stirring the grayish blue ocean waters before his arrival making them angry and strong, slapping the beach and wetting the birds’ toes.

“Waves are constantly in motion, rising and falling, and this can remind us that life is always changing, too,” Unknown. Our lives have undulations just like the ocean’s waves. We need to learn to navigate and embrace the changes, relying on God to give us the strength to help us through the storms. Bible scripture in Jeremiah reads, “This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name.”

The rain and overcast skies have hid Mother Nature’s magnificent sunsets but I know they are wondrous as their colors come alive over the Atlantic Ocean. “Life is like the ocean, it can be calm or still, and rough or rigid, but in the end it is always beautiful.”

“The world is full of poetry. The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its brightness.” — James Gates Percival