A Special Place

Do you have a special place? A place that seems to somehow magically change your perspective on everything going on in your head. A place that renews you and somehow makes you feel closer to God in that one spot on earth than anywhere else. A place that takes you back to a special time with special people. A place that whispers voices, and dreams from the past, while pushing you on to the future. I do.

That place to me is Sunset Beach NC. This is a wonderful little island where I grew up vacationing. There is very little commercial business, a fishing pier, a small motel, an inn, and houses. The beach is wide, and mostly littered by people who can tell their own stories of repeated trips to Sunset. The salty waters lap up on the most silky white sand, and shells are not in pieces but beautiful works of art and most are home to creatures of the sea.

Do I sound a little sappy? Yeah, I do. But, that is what Sunset brings out in me. Today, I came across one of my notebooks that had obliviously made a trip to Sunset with me in 1999. I came across a page where I had recorded an experience that took place on that trip. I would like to share that with you.

There is a place that was always dear to my father's heart, a little beach just inside NC. For as long as I can remember, we have vacationed here with family and friends. As our family grew older we grew larger in numbers and with each new addition we introduced our little beach.
Just before our trip this year my father passed away, and since our last trip I gave birth to my second son. As we arrived at the beach we all experienced feelings of sadness, melancholy, and emptiness. Yet, there were feelings of happiness, excitement, and wonder. On one of my walks down to the beach my father weighed heavy on my mind. I reached down and scratched his name in the sand. As I stood there and looked at it a wave came in and washed it away. As sadness began to consume my heart, I noticed my son. He was rushing into the water with a handful of sand to conquer a wave! He reminded me of new life! His excitement and wonder of God's world were new and fresh. He was marveled by the majesty of God's creation. I sat on the beach and began to realize that even though my dad had been washed out of my sight by the biggest wave I could have imagined, he was also experiencing new life, and experiencing God's majesty in the most majestic way.

written: May 28, 1999
at Sunset Beach NC