Smudged lines of blues and greens stretch across the horizon of the sea on this Thanksgiving afternoon. What lies beyond, a blur.
A few brave souls sit close to the edge of where the sand and the surf join. Chairs relaxed and toes in the sand. I imagine their eyes are closed, humming along to the ever constant rising and crashing of the sea. Maybe they’re the clerks at the grocery store that wished me a Happy Thanksgiving with their tired waves before their shift ended yesterday. Maybe they’re the paramedics who just wrapped their last long shift before the holiday. Maybe they’re like the friends I know who buried their mom earlier this year and are searching for comfort this Thanksgiving. Maybe they’re just two regular old folks thankful for their simple blessing of the majestic presence of the ocean and no where else to be.
As I look out to the vastness, I am certain I do not know what blessings I will reflect on and be thankful for next year. Just like the horizon, the future is distant and blurry. I know things and people are certain to be blessed and some, taken away. The tide will continue to ebb and flow and the waves, rise and crash.
Today, I am thankful for the opportunity to witness another day. I’m capturing snapshots of being in the presence of one of God’s glorious creations, moving at a slow pace, the laughter coming from the game of Scrabble in the adjacent room, the mix of spices from the patio next door and the ever steady breath that rises and falls within my lungs. I’m thankful for love. I’m thankful for friendships and for forgiveness. I’m thankful for my trials. I’m thankful for the experiences I have been a part of and those that I have been spared that weren’t for me. I’m thankful for my faith, for without it, I wouldn’t have the courage to face each day. I pray you’re able to relax and reflect and give thanks, wherever you may be this Thanksgiving day. Here’s to more rise and fall of the waves.
Happy Thanksgiving.
