Some of you may think that a month at the shore in spring would be paradise. Imagine walks on the beach every morning as you watch the sun rise; a swim in the rushing salty waves; a bike ride down old, sun-baked streets; ocean wind blowing your hair till it looks perfect; a darkening tan; aahh...what could be better? Well, I'm here to disappoint you. I was in this situation about a year and a half ago, and I'll tell you what I felt like.
I longed for green, bushy, deciduous trees; the cool gurgling waters of a little creek; cool shade from scorching heat; and quiet away from houses, house, and more houses. Sound a little depressing, and taking care of a beautiful, queenly 108 year-old was difficult as well. But...
If I left you at that, you would probably think at least two things: (1) I don't like the beach, and (2) I don't like taking care of old people. First of all, I like the beach, but the mountains are better. Second, I love my Great-grandmother and taking care of her proved to actually be a real blessing to me and my sister; however, there were times when I was so exhausted and just wanted to be free from that responsibility.
But there were some good things, and I learned lifelong lessons.
So in conclusion, The beach is not my favorite place to be for a very long time, but if I have to go, I'll take Long Beach Island, NJ any day. Actually I kinda miss those days.
And, as Hannah reminded us, don't forget to thank people in your life. Most of all, thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross and redemption through His blood(1 Peter 2 is a great chapter).
I longed for green, bushy, deciduous trees; the cool gurgling waters of a little creek; cool shade from scorching heat; and quiet away from houses, house, and more houses. Sound a little depressing, and taking care of a beautiful, queenly 108 year-old was difficult as well. But...
If I left you at that, you would probably think at least two things: (1) I don't like the beach, and (2) I don't like taking care of old people. First of all, I like the beach, but the mountains are better. Second, I love my Great-grandmother and taking care of her proved to actually be a real blessing to me and my sister; however, there were times when I was so exhausted and just wanted to be free from that responsibility.
But there were some good things, and I learned lifelong lessons.
So in conclusion, The beach is not my favorite place to be for a very long time, but if I have to go, I'll take Long Beach Island, NJ any day. Actually I kinda miss those days.
And, as Hannah reminded us, don't forget to thank people in your life. Most of all, thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross and redemption through His blood(1 Peter 2 is a great chapter).
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Elisabeth
Great memory! When I got to the shore, I had a wonderful time meeting all the friendly people. Like the surfer dude, the man who owned the first hamburger restaurant on the island and his brother who wrote the advertisement, "Where's the beef?" Then there was Miss Lindsay and her husband and the fun of exploring a very wealthy friend of her's house and borrowing their bikes! There are actually a lot of kind people from NJ. And who wouldn't enjoy taking care of the Queen inbetween nice long walks on the beach! What a sweet memory. I am so glad you had that opportunity. Grandma got so attached to you. I can still hear her say," Where's Elisabeth? I want Elisabeth." )
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about some of those people. Definitely the "surfer dude" was a fun guy, and Lindsay was so friendly. I think the island has an unusual amount of friendly people.
DeleteAwe! That man with a flappy hat is a good memory. ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, he sure is!
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