My Respite From Life and Blogging

I have been on a two month respite.  My husband and I chose to stay two months in Florida this year to escape the winter weather.  We just “dwelled.”  It was wonderful just to “be” for a change.  

This personal retreat is good for our marriage.  We choose an unpopulated part of Florida, and we know few people there.  We must rely on each other for comradeship, encouragement, entertainment, and events of the day.  After forty-four years, we know each other well.  So, we both exercise at the beginning of our day.  Denny bikes, and I do yoga and walk.  We both enjoy reading, so we go to the beach and sit and read.  We may take a simple lunch like an apple or peanut butter sandwich, but we just enjoy the sounds of the surf, the smell of the salt, the wildlife at Stump Pass, and shell collecting and beach walks.  It fills our day with so much peace. Just being one with the sea revives me.

One of my favorite times at the beach is late afternoon when the sun is cooler.  I perch my sand chair into the water and just let the waves gently bathe my feet and legs.  All I see is teal sea.  All I feel is the sun’s warmth and tepid waters.  I take in the salty air into my lungs and breathe deeply this fresh scent.  I stare at the level horizon and can feel my brain relax.  I reach down and pluck a new shell that the incoming tide brings to me. Its beauty is absorbing.  I feel the slick finish designed by the sea.  I roll the shell in my hands and peep into its crevices.  I marvel at the dainty swirled top and the elongated edges.  The gentle salmon entrance color creates a warmth within.  This is a treasure from the sea.  It is an unexpected gift of this day.  I delight in the water, the sun, the splashes, and my new found shell.  

I thank God for this beauty and unexpected gift.  I praise Him for His creation and all the beauty He has provided.  I feel His presence in the water, the swirling white clouds above, and the sifting sand below me.  I realize that I too am one of His many creations.  I am touched by the Almighty this day.  For this I am grateful.

It is because of days like this, I have not blogged.  I did not have a great internet connection and could not post my blogs.  I repeatedly lost them.  So, I decided I must need a respite from blogging as well.  I missed my blog buddies, my readers, and those of you who take time to comment.  I am at a point that I wonder if I should continue.  I send this message today to all my faithful followers and friends.  I have missed you.

Marriage, A Yoga Relationship

Yoga in Marriage

Today I had a wonderful experience. I did yoga on the Englewood Beach. The instructor urged us to breathe with the ocean waves. The fine mist in the air gently washed away my cares and concerns. Approximately 100 people stretched to the sky and recognized the sand as their turf. It was a gentle class. I expect the instructor recognized we were mostly senior snow birds.

I was invigorated after our hour session. It was about 70 degrees. Warm feels wonderful to an Indiana gal. As I was walking back to our rental, I thought about the next few days.

We planned to fly to Seattle to witness our son’s wedding. He is 35 and has waited a long time to marry. This wedding is their official church wedding. He and Annie decided to be married before they lived together because they had been reared to know God’s ordainment is necessary and morally right. I so appreciated them taking this extra step. In April they are having a destination wedding with tropical flowers, event days, and lots of celebration. We are all traveling to Cozumel to have a wedding in the sands of time.

I realize this is exceptional in this era where so many couples choose just to live together. They make a commitment to share the rent. Somehow, rent sharing and fixing up a domain are not the basis for marriage. It is the external parts, but it takes God’s blessing to create a permanent bond. Even then, it is a difficult task to have a successful marriage in today’s culture. I pray often for Annie and Adam. I ask God to unite them in such a way that they will be magnets to each other for all of their life’s journey,

They understand it will take much work, patience, and turning their heads when one of them acts really stupid. I used to wonder how long” stupid” would last. Usually, the state of disrepair lasted a few hours when we were first married. After forty-three years, our “stupid” only lasts a short time. It is not because we are mature marrieds. We just seem to give each other more grace because we can’t remember if we are really right or wrong. Our most vivid attack is, “ Somebody”. We say, “Somebody forgot to put the milk away, close the cupboard, or give me a charge receipt,” and other such essential functions and earth shattering matters in marriage.

I enter into an understanding when I see an older couple holding hands as they walk together. Gravity has played a cruel trick on their once cute bodies. Heartaches and worries have engraved etchings on their faces. Rearing and running children made permanent laugh lines around their eyes and upturned mouths. The hand in hand couple look within to find comfort, honor, and respect. These are the foundations of a lasting marriage. I see them laugh as they pull up and down their swim suits in a synchronized way trying to hide the bulges that make most clothes feel awkward. It just doesn’t matter. They are one in heart, soul, and body. They have earned the right to bulge and still feel love, passion, and admiration for each other. These are the condiments of an old marriage.

I pray that Annie and Adam will feel the rhythm of the waves that I heard this morning. I want them to be the cleansing air and soft mist for each other. I know they will stretch each other, but I pray they can stay in balance as I did in the tree position. If they lose that balance, may they refocus, realign, and recall how good it felt to be stable as one. Just as yoga takes years of practice to perfect; so does marriage. Like yoga, even the practice is enjoyable. A session can create enlightenment, renewal, or a new understanding. Each season of marriage does much the same if we relax and let it work within us and outside of us. Ahhh, stretch Annie and Adam. You are in for a delightful season. Blessings to you both in learning balance.