When Life Lands Us in Unusual Places

Moth on a parking lot in MD

I just returned from a trip to the beach to visit a high school friend. She (and her mother)  has been caring for her father full time since his stroke several years ago.

Her father can't speak very well and his face is somewhat distorted. He can't stand, walk, toilet or feed himself. He goes from the wheelchair to the bed. But what is amazing is the life he leads in between.

My friend ventures out all of the time with both elderly parents in tow. They recently went to the airshow on the boardwalk. My friend's father pointed to the planes and with a smile, he grunted the number of craft he saw flying in the sky. He used to be in the National Guard as a young man.

As we walked through doorways, he tipped his hat to strangers who opened the door for the wheelchair.

My friend's father grinned while watching a young child coo for her mother. And he spelled out the fact that he was ready to watch "F O O T B A L L" inside.

When we drove by the water on the way home, he shook his head in remembrance of the flounder fishing excursion. And he smiled when I thanked him for the boat rides as a teen.

It is hard to see my friend struggle to daily care for her incapacitated father. It is hard for me to see his wife have to feed him.

 But what is even more difficult to comprehend is the incredible well of love and hope that keeps on flowing from this family.

Life's circumstances landed them in a precarious place, one that is incredibly hard at times. One that is extremely unusual and yet they keep on giving, living and growing as a beautiful family.

Blessed Soul, NJ 12'

Sunrise in Bed

The day has yet to begin and I already feel like I accomplished something great. I opened my eyes to watch the sunrise.


It could not have been easier today, because I am staying in a room with an incredible view. And yet, I almost rolled over to go back for some more zzzz's.


Though, I know I am a better person for seeking out beauty that is uniquely offered in a certain place and time.


Today will have some challenges, and life will get in the way. But, because I saw the sun rise, I will be reminded to think on things that are good, and pure, and lovely and true...(Philippians 4:8).

Sunny Soul 12'

Ocean City, MD

Light Makes All of the Difference

The beach is so inviting. The sun is so warm, the sand is so clean and the water so blue. It is perfect day to catch a ray, sunbath and get a tan.

There is one exception, looks can be deceiving. Today, the only tan that might appear would be on the nose, and it would be more in a shade of red than brown.

The wind is whipping up, the air is cold and any sun seekers are enjoying it with a hat, gloves, scarf, and a winter coat.

The beach in winter, in Ocean City Maryland, is bearable today. And it is beautiful, despite the freezing cold, because light changes things, even in the harshest of conditions.

Chillin Soul, 12'
Ocean City, MD'

Living in Joy while Enduring Pain

I spent my Christmas vacation enjoying incredibly warm weather. The beach was beautiful with clear blue skies and warm weather. And while I had to embrace the outward beauty with my eyes, the hard shells beneath my feet reminded me of the inner pain my heart was carrying. While I enjoyed a warm winter vacation, my friend was enduring immense pain after a tragic holiday car accident that spared her life yet left another dead.

I reflected on life as I walked the solitary beach early one morning. And I was reminded of humanity all around and how frail we really are. Yet, as the ocean roared with movement, it reminded me of the resilience of life. And I embraced the fact that joy and pain must at times be friends.

So often pain seems to overshadow any beauty life may give, yet in acceptance that life is more beautiful than it is broken, joy can be a constant in this world.

Enduring Soul
Florida, 12'

Honoring Life Even in Death

I love the beach, especially the sun, the water, the sand and the birds. When I go to the beach, I live for these things. I love to go to bird sanctuaries, especially those near the beach.

My friend enjoys watching birds too, but she explained to me that she is an avid shell collector and this is her passion.

I have considered the beauty of shells but frankly they are more of a nuisance than a pleasure. At the beach, I try to avoid stepping on them as much as possible. And many are broken anyway, so I wonder why I should bother with shells. They have sand on them and they stink if dead things are left inside.

When my friend put all of her shells out to dry, I took a second look and I saw the beauty. I realized that while I see beauty in birds because they are alive, my friend sees beauty in what remains from a living thing. Though it no longer has life, it represents the remnants of life and it is more beautiful than the creature which it protected.

And then I met a stranger at the bird sanctuary who took a picture of a feather floating in the water...and he said "there is beauty in everything...if you look carefully you will find it..."

Maybe the next time I avoid stepping on a shell, I'll pick it up and take it home...just as a keepsake to remember that "life is beautiful and even in death, that beauty can be celebrated."

Shelling Soul
Sanibel Island, FL 11'

Winter Beach Retreat
I stayed an extra night in Ocean City, Maryland. The writing retreat had ended and mostly everyone had left the building. This was the perfect opportunity for a single writer's soul to pour out words over paper with a view of the ocean. It was lonely and it was cold but it was beautiful in its' own right. While waiting for that spectacular sunrise, I became momentarily disappointed. There really wasn't a bright sunrise. It was grey and cold but I eventually found...

Grey Inspiration

I waited for the sunrise

but I never saw it

Instead I stared into the distance

amazed only by the sound of the ocean waves

before me was the grey

from water to sky

the difference in color

only found at the horizon line

a change in hue of winter cold

disappointment became my first response

until I embraced acceptance

that this was my morning view

despite the choice of palette I disliked

I was thankful for the canvas

and the burst of pink hope peeking between the clouds

and I was inspired to stroke the words across my page

in my heart, and on paper, I was no longer blue

Inspired Soul

Ocean City, MD 11'