Current Designs
Like the new header picture? It was lovely watching my grandson wade in tide pools and enjoy his delight in his findings. While on vacation I bought a book for him called " Down By the Seaweed Cafe". The book takes the same kind of delight a young child would in beach treasures. It encourages the reader to participate in a Seaweed Dance--which of course, is a gentle, lovely swaying!
We learned some new things about current by watching seaweed flow.
While we were away we spent more time than ever before in our kayaks. There is so much to learn about current, ebb and flow and tide and our own ability to paddle in it. We had adventures, finding beaches and pretty ocean pathways. I found out what happens when I paddle in too close to a back eddy! I ended up facing backward then forward in about 2 seconds--all the while trying to figure out which stroke I was supposed to be employing!
Mostly, I think we learned about letting things go. We used less strength when we worked with the current rather than fighting it. We enjoyed the little things, a knot of sea grasses, seaweed in clumps, seals sunning, the taste of sea lettuce plucked directly from the water. It has been a time of change. When tides change, they carry away the waves which have been banking cobble on the beach. They ebb away the leftover heat of the day from rocks, carry wood and logs that are floating in wait. The same tide coming in may bring new drift wood, waves which create drama on the shore. Learning how to read the current, to follow the tide and to use it well are the challenges of paddling.
Recently I have been challenged in my personal life, tides are changing and the current is strong. I am learning to let go and work with the current, rather than trying to cross it and make my way more difficult. But I am still learning to read the water that I am in. Some around me are more patient than I deserve while others have no patience at all. I find it is a bit like kayak surfing- I am a little afraid of it because I can't read the water well enough to know when it is safe. Somehow it is easier to stay in quiet waters and in places I feel safe. But there are times I am called to the surf, time where I need to cross the current and paddle hard to get where I am going. Setting a bearing while crossing strong current sometimes means the bearings need to be checked several times to make sure of the direction. I am grateful to have my compass set on Christ and that even though the currents are strong, I have His strength made perfect in my weakness. My hope is built on nothing less!
While I ponder all of these things in my heart, I continue to give thanks for the memories made and the life I celebrate. Tomorrow I teach Class Two in my Birthing Preparation series. More time spent empowering women, teaching about the miraculous design of the body and the life it is so capable of creating. This pathway that has chosen me makes me very happy- and I am humbly grateful!
Mostly, I think we learned about letting things go. We used less strength when we worked with the current rather than fighting it. We enjoyed the little things, a knot of sea grasses, seaweed in clumps, seals sunning, the taste of sea lettuce plucked directly from the water. It has been a time of change. When tides change, they carry away the waves which have been banking cobble on the beach. They ebb away the leftover heat of the day from rocks, carry wood and logs that are floating in wait. The same tide coming in may bring new drift wood, waves which create drama on the shore. Learning how to read the current, to follow the tide and to use it well are the challenges of paddling.
Recently I have been challenged in my personal life, tides are changing and the current is strong. I am learning to let go and work with the current, rather than trying to cross it and make my way more difficult. But I am still learning to read the water that I am in. Some around me are more patient than I deserve while others have no patience at all. I find it is a bit like kayak surfing- I am a little afraid of it because I can't read the water well enough to know when it is safe. Somehow it is easier to stay in quiet waters and in places I feel safe. But there are times I am called to the surf, time where I need to cross the current and paddle hard to get where I am going. Setting a bearing while crossing strong current sometimes means the bearings need to be checked several times to make sure of the direction. I am grateful to have my compass set on Christ and that even though the currents are strong, I have His strength made perfect in my weakness. My hope is built on nothing less!
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