Spring Break Can Be Exhausting

Sea BreezesMy husband does not get a spring break. He is not a teacher. So, today, instead of cleaning the garage or working on his boat, I talked him into going with me for a next to last day of beach sitting. The above shot is what we did most of the day. It was wonderful! March on our beaches is lovely. The water is cool but bearable.The weather was in the mid seventies with a light chop to the water. The sky was crystal blue, the wind was light and the tide was coming in. We packed a lunch, put the top down on the covertible, threw in the towels and the beach chairs and headed for the island. It was old home week on the Old Coast Guard Station beach. I must have seen half our school staff there. I introduced Harold to several collegues in their swimwear. After holding hands and walking a couple of miles, we read books and just sat. I found a few beach treasures to add to my shell collection. In the afternoon we went to the Y and swam laps in the outdoor pool, as if we hadn't had enough water. After a quick trip to Walmart, we headed home, sandy and tired. Breaking for spring can be exhausting, but it is more fun shared with someone you love. Thanks Harold!

Am I Having Too Much Fun on Spring Break?

Sea BreezesOh my, am I having too much fun on my spring break? Monday morning I again slept past 5 a.m. ah, sheer bliss, and was still prone when the sun showed his face in the east. I showered, dressed after a leisurely breakfast and two slow cups of coffee and scooted out the door to go get my oil changed and my car washed. Living on a sand road and driving a black car is not a good mix for one who likes her car clean and shiny. I popped by my favorite nursery in Darien, met a lovely black lady, also a gardener and fellow retired teacher, and we struck up a conversation. We also discovered we had a couple of mutual friend gardeners. She mentioned she had some turnip greens in her garden she needed to give away. I replied I had a husband who loved fresh greens. Next thing I knew, I was following my new friend to her home to see her garden and cut some turnip greens. We had a lovely half hour chatting about flowers, gardens and such, examining her soil and sharing planting tips. I gleaned much information about the local soil and what does best as I am getting ready to buy dirt and put in my spring garden. What a lovely direction my day took. I was in a hurry to get on the road to Statesboro to spend a couple of days with Kennedy and Katie. Greg was flying to Mobile for business and Kennedy and I had planned some MeMe Kennedy time while Mommy went to teach. Monday night Greg, Katie, Kennedy, Patrick and I had dinner out. Tuesday precious Kennedy and MeMe had a grand time. We read books, played with babies, took a long stroll, fed ducks and fish, played on the swing, took a wagon ride with Riley dachshund, laughed and loved and napped. Mommy came home and Uncle Patrick came over for dinner. The next morning we had another grand day planned, but a warm baby forehead put a crimp in our plans. Mommy checked temp which was just a bit elevated, Motrin was given and promises were made to let Mommy know at school if temp went up. After morning nap, grand plans turned to holding a sick granddaughter in my arms and loving and soothing her and getting in touch with Mommy, who came home early, and we all headed to the doc. This MeMe was still enjoying her spring break because she was with her precious family. Kennedy had double ear infections, and I am happy to report is much better today. After coming back home, I found myself today scooting to the Y to swim with my convertible top down feeling almost giddy in the cool spring morning with skies overhead dressed in blue glimmering over the salt marshes as I breezed over the rivers to Brunswick. The outdoor pool felt heavenly as I swam laps, and I got a bit of sunburn in the hour I swam. One of the lifeguards was my student last year, and we enjoyed a poolside chat.
She is on the swim team and has been a big help with my stroke technique. The drive back was equally as refreshing, air warmer and the sweet smell of salt and ocean in the air. How I love our coastal spring, even though she stays for just a short while before the heat and humidity of our long summer push her out the door. How wonderful to break for spring. Tomorrow I have decided to go the beach and do....nothing. I will enjoy riding past the salt marshes as the gray of the marsh grass slowly fades to the lovely emerald green of summer. Enjoy a picture of our lovely salt marshes. I drive through them every day to work, and they always amaze me with their beauty. Here is to spring break and spring!

Finally

Sea BreezesSunrise, Easter Morning is finally here. I am so happy to see this sunrise. We had a great crowd at church this morning. Father Ted called out "The Lord is Risen!" The congregation responded, "The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!" Our music was full and happy and vibrant. "Welcome happy morning age to age shall say" Welcome Easter Day. My grandchildren were full of bunnies and eggs and new Easter clothes on this joyous day. I wish I could have held each one of them. They are too young to know that "death is conquered, we are free...Christ has won the victory." But we older ones know, and that makes life so much sweeter. There is nothing at all to fear. Just as those brightly colored eggs represent the beauty of new life, so this Easter day, for all of us, tells us to begin to live. He is not here, He is risen. Start this day to celebrate the life Christ has given you. Happy Easter.

Holy Saturday, All the World Waits

Sea Breezes Holy Saturday. We continue to wait. Today I finished working in the front flower beds. Well, not finished, but made progress in thinning out my native ferns and preparing the beds for summer perennials. My life is like my flower beds, constantly being choked out by the overgrowth of my sins and the rising and falling levels of my faith. Then, along comes Easter, and I am again reminded that God weeds out the trash in my life and washes me anew with His precious blood. I can't wait much longer. I can't wait to get fresh topsoil in my beds and put in summer color. I can't wait for Easter morning, to cry He is Risen! Today, the world holds its breath and waits.

We Wait for Eastern Morn

Sea BreezesThis evening in coastal Georgia is quiet, as if the world waits. The day dawned bright and sunny with robin's egg blue skies. I call it a Chamber of Commerce day; a day they would take a picture to promote our area for tourism. I offically started spring break today, so I slept in till after eight, jumped in my little convertible and headed to the Y for a water aerobics class. My afternoon was happily spent working in my front flower beds. Harold and I had dinner out at a little restaurant down on the Sapelo River, we could even see a hint of ocean from our waterside table. During this lovely spring day, I kept thinking of Him, His cross, His Passion. Good Friday. "Come to the cross, come to the lonely place where teardrops turn to grace." I sang these words during our Lenten cantata, and today I remembered them and wept. At church we sang, "Who denied thee, twas I Lord crucified thee." Our sins wounded and killed the King of Kings. What love is this who gave for us His only son that we might be saved and live eternally? What wondrous love is this? Oh Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us and bring us into your dark Gethsemane that we might rise with you this Easter morn.

I Am Springing

Sea Breezes In the night the change begins. God gets His mighty paint palette out and starts creating another masterpiece.Every morning when I awaken, there is more color, more vibrancy, more, more, more. I can barely breathe, and I haven't even left my front porch. Spring has arrived, and she is dressed in splendor. My native azaleas are too busy dancing under the front porch dressed in their finest peach silk gowns with an edge of ecru to even notice the idiot hanging over the porch gawking at them. They look so fine, swaying in unison with the Spanish moss hanging off the old oaks that didn't even bother to change out of her winter gray for the spring fling. In the background, some vivid purple wisteria hangs over the fence railing as if to announce she too is at the dance. Dotted golden yellow winter jasmine joins the party farther down the backyard fence. Under the garage windows, some older azaleas shake their deep pink gowns in the breeze and compete for best of show. It is spring and I am jumping. I should not be allowed to drive a car this time of year. I have so much to see that I have trouble keeping my eyes off the road and beyond. If you think the spring party is hopping at my house, you ought to see the marsh and river spring fling. I am afraid to go to the ocean, no telling what God is painting there. I will hold more spring observations to another post. I am going to continue to be a wallflower and hang out on my porch to watch my local dance. Our God is a mighty artist. I you love art, look around. The world is His gallery and admission is free. Enjoy the shots of the spring dance from our front porch.

More Lighthouse Chatter

Sea BreezesI have been thinking about lighthouses all day. The best part about blogging for a writer like me who is also a writing teacher is that it gives me a channel for creative thoughts that, at any moment of the day, could spill over onto the floor. Lighthouses represent light, of course, which is one of the themes I find myself using often in my poetry. One of the pieces we were working on in choir the other day spoke of Our Lord's light as resplendent light. I love that word! Resplendent light must be the best, whitest and brightest light. His light is that and so much more. A light, the scriptures tell us, that even outshines the sun. Back to the lighthouse topic, up close, at night, the St. Simons light is so bright you can almost feel it on your skin. When out at sea in a storm, it is a constant for the ship's captain. A reliable, unchangeable, trustworthy light to a safe port in the storm. The lord's love is that light in my life, steady and unwavering. Now, my faith is more like the storm, wavering and unpredictable. How amazing that His love for me is not connected to my level of faith. He is the same, yesterday, today and always. The St. Simons light is the same today and tomorrow for a while. And someday, it may fade. The Light of the World will beam for eternity. Enjoy these shots of the St. Simons light.

Lighthouse Mania

Sea BreezesI am a lighthouse lover. That I live close to two of Georgia's lighthouses delights me. Our local Sapelo Island lighthouse, shown here, requires a 15 mile drive from my house and a thirty minute ferry ride. When our boat gets in the river, we will be able to ride over to Sapelo Island, departing from our local, close to our house dock. My friend who sold me our boat just informed me that we can rent a cabin over on Sapelo. I am excited about future excursions over to our local island. We have lived on St. Simons Island for the last ten years, and the St. Simons lighthouse is also dear to me. St. Simons still remains a weekly haunt for me, as my hairdresser is there, many friends, and we still love to go to the beach often. When I go over to St. Simons, I always enjoy seeing the lighthouse, especially as the sun goes down. Both lights are still in use as nautical guides. They both have a rich history, which I find fascinating. A childhood song, which I sang to my own children, is one that always comes to mind when I see the powerful beam of the lighthouse shining out on the sea. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Is my little life light shining for all to see? Although not the power of the mighty light that beams twenty nautical miles, my light is still visible. Will a person is distress in the waters of life see my little light and be guided to the safety of the shore? This evening, these thoughts fill my mind and I am reminded that He is the Light of the World. I am going to try to not hide my beam of His light under a bushel, but to uncover it for all the world to see.

Lent is a long season

Sea BreezesAlthough signs of spring are starting to show, this season of Lent remains a difficult one for me. The forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday are a time of reflection and contemplation for us Christians. The fact that I am singing a Lenten cantata with our community concert choir makes this Lent a very introspective one for me. The music we are singing is beautiful, powerful and filled with the sadness of this season. When we rise in voice as one and sing "Father, forgive them!" I am again reminded that we crucified the Lamb of God, and I hang my head in shame. Then we have to face our Lord's Passion Week and work through the agony of Maundy Thursday and that Last Supper, the darkness of Good Friday and the Crucifixion and the waiting through Holy Saturday and the memory of His agony. Ah me....The sunrise of Easter Sunday seems so far away. Tonight I will sing of "The Wounded King of Kings' and remember that such love as this is the most beautiful love the world has ever known. Like spring, Easter will come. Wishing you a Holy Lent.

On Top Of Old Smoky

Sea BreezesWe recently flew to the lovely Smoky Mountains to see our Tennessee kids. We arrived late in the evening in Knoxville via Atlanta, via Jacksonville. Blake met us at the airport, and we appreciated his staying up late to pick up his parents. He works at the airport, so he deserved kudos for coming back on a Friday night. The rest of the gang was nestled all snug in their beds. The next morning, we were greeted by the lovely music of Henley, Lander and Paisley. Seeing them all was wonderful. After a big breakfast, we were off to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains. I have included a few photos of the weekend to share. We had a great time seeing the mountains, laughing and enjoying grandchildren. We went to church together, watched a movie and had Sunday afternoon lunch at a great restaurant in Knoxville on the Tennessee River. Lander just turned five and showed us his birthday pix, Henley shared with us her musical skill as she is taking piano lessons, and little Paisley is busy being two. Growing children, they are all so precious. Mommy Tonya is busy taking care of this crew. All too soon, the weekend was over, and we had to hop back on a plane early, early on Monday morning. We made another special memory to pull out when we miss our Tennessee kids-which is every day!