My family is at the beach – a week we anticipate all year long!

My youngest daughter could only be here 2 days because of the children’s school. My son came a 4 days but had to get back to work. My eldest will leave tomorrow because she is training for a marathon and has to get back to do a “big” run. I’ll close the house up on Saturday and drive home.

And we will anticipate next year!

It is fun to be together. Lots of laughter and teasing. And time to talk – something we don’t often have in our busy schedules.

As is my practice, I get up each morning to walk the beach. I listen to praise music as I do. It’s thrilling to listen to Damaris Carbaugh sing In the Presence of Jehovah as the sun comes up on the horizon! Such glory! I do feel as if I am in His presence. (Of course I always am but at the beach listing to that song makes it so real.)

This year there aren’t many shells on the beach -I’m a big shell collector. Most this year are small, common and broken. Just like me! And I have noticed that at certain spots on the beach there are more shells. It must be some sort of Ocean Reef beyond the shore at that particular spot that spits them out.

Individually, they just sit in the sand alone. But when are washed up in an area where there are more shells – as a group – there is a beauty collectively as the water washes over them.

To me, that speaks of community. How we are much better in community than by ourselves. especially as the Holy Spirit washes over us! There is beauty when the family of God comes together. One day we will all gather on that distant shore and reflect Jehovah’s glory and presence.

But why wait ’til then. I want to reflect Him now where God has placed me in community.