THE "TIDES" OF OUR LIVES (April 2 - 15, 2019)

South Carolina Sunrise

As we watched our daughter's family drive out of the resort and head back to Indiana, we understood that for the next two weeks we would be by ourselves in our quiet place.  Edisto Island has been labeled as the Mayberry of beaches in the Carolinas and that's exactly why we like it!

These last 14 days we have enjoyed doing absolutely nothing and doing it quite well if I must say so myself.  It was hours of  walking the beach and trails.  It was hours of sitting in the sunshine and feeling the warmth of its' rays as they kissed your skin.  It was hours of.....well I am sure that you get the idea.

Now, I sit here at the dining room table and await the arrival of our next guests.  A High School friend of my wife and her husband come in this afternoon for their first "Edisto" experience.  Next week it will be Sherry's brother and sister in law who will be our guests for two weeks before our Island Time comes to an end.

REFLECTIONS

Life is always changing, like the tides.  Sometimes the tides are up and things are happening right and left. Life is beating our your shore and it is exhilarating.  Other times the tides are heading out and the emptying leaves behind so much.  It is a quieter time.

We have learned these last two plus years of retirement to ride the tides.  We thoroughly enjoy the high tides with friends and family.  These are the busy times; times of waiting to see what will be deposited in our lives.  They are wonderful times of discovery and fun.  These "high tides" are blessed times.

We, also, enjoy the "low tides" of retreating from the crashing of life.  They are times of renewal and
being able to listen to His still small voice.  They are needed times.

I know that our "transient" life style is different from almost everyone else, but I know that life, for all of us, has its' ebbs and flows.  The difference is that ocean tides are predictable and the tides of our lives are random.  The ups and downs can last for a long time or they can come and go in an instant.

The secret is to not allow them to overwhelm us; to drown us!  Learn to enjoy them both and to treasure whatever they bring.  In the ocean, the low tides bring more beach and deposit shell treasures to be discovered, while the high tides provide those treasures as they crash to the shore.

But here's the deal!  Without the low tides you'd never see the treasures hidden beneath the blue water.  There will be "low tides" in our lives and we must learn to use them to find the beauty underneath it all.  Be blessed in all the "tides of your life".

South Carolina Sunset