Quiet Reflections From The Beach.
Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
Today is Day 4 of our vacation at the beach.
We are in Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Sand dunes…sea oats…and salt marshes.
The beach is such a recharging place for my soul.
The ocean waves crashing.
The pelicans dipping low onto the horizon, skimming the surface, looking for their next meal.
The seagulls swooping down to search for a stray piece of food left along the shore.
The breeze gently blowing, lightly scented, carrying the salt that lands upon your lips.
Rising in the quiet.
The world seems late in waking up when you are on beach time.
I think that’s because the revelry lasts well into the evening.
Given the fact that I have three teenagers, our mornings start late as well.
So quite often, I sit on the balcony, sipping my coffee, basking in the silence, and watch the world come awake.
I walk to the shore before the crowds of people begin to claim their spots.
An ocean in constant motion.
Ebbing and flowing.
Just like life.
Moments of frantic and moments of peace.
Sometimes the waves come in and gently kiss the shore.
Other times, they demand that their presence be acknowledged.
I am reminded that we humans have a tendency to be like the waves.
Quiet and gentle.
Loud and attention seeking.
Ever changing.
I watch my daughter as she surfs.
She feels a kinship with the ocean as well.
While I admire its gentle nature, she embraces its power.
I have watched her surf the ocean waves since she was in the single digits.
And now, at 13, I begin to see the disappearance of a child and the emergence of a woman.
And as the waves lap at the shore, I am reminded that although the ocean feels timeless, our time is marching on.
My children are daily approaching adulthood.
The oldest will be a high school Senior in the fall.
Less than a year and he will likely pack his clothes and precious belongings and place his head under a new roof.
My second son is only one year behind.
The girlie following two years after that.
And then what?
I watch the sun set on the beach.
The ending of the day.
And I ponder life.
Who will I become as the journey of all-consuming motherhood comes to an end?
I long to embrace the next chapter as fully as I have embraced this one.
To find that next soul pulling phase that tells me…
This is who I am now called to be.
Let your light shine!
Amy
It sounds as if you are really enjoying your Carolina vacation. Carolina Beach is a nice place to visit. My daughter lives out that way. Beautiful photos.
Thank you! 🙂 We are enjoying our time here. It is so beautiful here. Your daughter is very lucky is she lives nearby. We have a haul to get here, but revel in its beauty once we get here. 🙂
Very calming pretty pictures! Enjoy your time.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Enjoy your priceless family time!
Thank you!! 🙂
Love your reflection.
Thank you!! 🙂
…and your photos.
It looks so calm, and beautiful there.
No wet suit? The water must be warm, but my head says, Atlantic= cold like the Pacific at that longitude/lattitude? Maybe it’s more south than my mind’s map remembers?
You’ll find you’ll fill up your time when you’re an “empty nester”. I was surprised how fast I filled up my time, and amazingly my mind isn’t letting me worry about what I can’t see them doing. 🙂
It has been pretty calm here, which is a little disappointing to my surfers, but we still enjoy it immensely.
The water temperature here has been 80°. For me, that’s a little cold when getting in, but then it feels fine. For the others, they handle colder temperatures better than me.
I’ll be happy when my mind isn’t letting me worry about what I can’t see them doing! 😉
You sound relaxed and calm … but also wistful at the thought of the changes ahead of you.
It is very relaxing and calming here… but that also gives me lots of time to think. 🙂
Which in my case can be a dangerous thing 😉
I am in the same boat as you with a junior in high school and a middle schooler. My older one just started driving a few months ago and it is bitter sweet. It frees up a lot of time for us not to have to take her anywhere, but she is gone all of the time now and I miss her dearly. I know it is part of the growing up process and I need to allow her this independence but it is so darn hard to let go. I have to consciously force myself not to be a helicopter parent. Lol! I am crying less often so that’s a good sign. How are you handling the changes?
Hope your vacation is all good. I have a polarizer for my camera lens, but still have the ND filter on my wish list. How did they work out for you? Thanks for liking some of my posts and I’m glad to have come by and checked your blog out.
Crying less is definitely a good sign 😉. It’s an interesting time when you are raising teens, that’s for sure!! My oldest has been driving for a year and he is definitely on the go a lot! My other son has his permit so I’m still taking him places all the time. I can tell he’ll be on the go when he gets his too. The letting go process is an ebb and flow process! Lol. My mother used to joke that she thinks God gives you the ups and downs of raising teenagers so that when it’s time for them to leave, you are ready for them to go.
I have mixed emotions on the polarizer. I haven’t had time to sit down and compare those I took with and without. I am still very new to my Sony so I’m in the learning curve part of it. I haven’t had a chance to try the ND filter since timing my beach time with family time hasn’t seemed to pan out for optimal usage of it.
Yes, I can definitely see how the ups and downs have me looking forward to some peace and drama-free living when they leave. Lol.
I honestly didn’t notice a huge difference with my polarizer. Especially nothing that couldn’t be easily achieved in post processing. I have a Sony, too! My old one is an alpha35 and when it pooped out I upgraded to the alpha68. I like it a lot.