I’m full of delicious shrimp, walking on the beach at Hilton Head, South Carolina, my toes wet from the ocean waves. I can feel the tired heart beat of the ocean as it laps on the shore. I’m following a tuxedoed old man, a Great Blue Heron, his skinny legs taking deliberate steps on the sticks at the edge of the beach. He’s dressed in an overcoat of blue gray feathers, his dagger-like bill a yellow orange, a little black beret sits pert on his head.

As I walk closer he turns his head and glares at me, disgusted that I’m interfering with his gaze on the beautiful sunset. He’s intently watching Mother Nature’s magnificent watercolor painting of a southern coastal sunset evolve. Maybe he’s remembering happier times. He looks old and haggard. He’s watching the sun rolling down the horizon in her deep orange formal gown surrounded by clouds brush stroked in oranges and blues and yellows and pinks and turquoises. Dusk is pulling down the night as the ocean turns a silver blue.

Kate Chopin says, “The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.” Bible scripture tells us the ocean is both a powerful and creative force created by God. The ocean can also be a symbol of chaos and danger. We’ll be careful frolicking in the ocean this week. Two sharks bites last week a mile from here will make us aware and cautious. The movie Jaws has kept me only ankle deep in the ocean since 1975.

The ocean is often used as a metaphor for God. The constant motion as the waves grace the shore remind us of God’s power and mystery. You can’t but help feel God’s presence as you gaze over the vastness of the ocean and listen to its roar. Last October I was visiting in Florida when a hurricane was forecasted shortly and Mother Nature was pounding the shore with loud harsh waves. You could hear the pulse of Mother Earth as the wind and waves raged.

The ocean gives me peace and inspiration. Its beauty and power speak to me and calm my soul. I feel connected to the world as I gaze on the water as the evening’s gloaming begins and the waves begin to sparkle in the twilight. Looking forward to a glorious Sunday sunrise.

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.” ― Vincent van Gogh