Retreat, Relax, Refresh, Regroup, Recharge

This past weekend marked the annual beach trip for the small group of Christians I meet with every Wednesday night to share a meal, time in the Word, and in prayer.  To say that we are like family is to understate the depth of relationship we've developed both because of our common bond in Christ and our involvement in each other's lives.

Over a decade ago, the Wyatt Life Group made its first beach trek after a year in which every family in the group had endured significant health issues. This year we came weary with death, having experienced three deaths in as many weeks in our congregation. Our group's own Larry Schoenborn would not live to make this trip, but fond memories of him were inescapable. And we were joined by our dear brother Ron, whose wife Jo followed Larry home within two weeks of his departure.

I drove through the Coast Range in the aftermath of a Wednesday night snow storm, after varying road condition warnings of carry chains/chains required, to find the roads plowed and the sun waiting on the other side of the mountains.




The joy I experienced when we emerged in the sun was a great metaphor for the journey we'd all been experiencing over the past few weeks, most poignantly by those who had left us: they to find life eternal after much suffering, we to seek renewal after our grief at their suffering and separation from us. 


 

 The last two years we have gone to this beach house. It is perched on a hillside high above the beach in Oceanside, a town that remains untainted by tourism.

The house offers an unobstructed view of the ocean, a kitchen large enough to accommodate too many cooks, and ample seating around the dining room table that IS the central gathering place for us: we love to play games as much as we love to eat.

Another thing that brings me back to this house is that it offers more privacy for those of us who are single than any place we've ever gone. This large upstairs bedroom, with the same large windows as the DR/LR, also serves as a cozy gathering place for us gals.

We spent the next three days reading, enjoying too much food, snacking and playing games, ribbing each other, walking on the beach, talking, sharing memories and our lives, and just "getting away."

 
For me, there is no better place to get away than the beach.  There is something about the vast expanse of water, the endless horizon, the rhythm of the waves, and the fresh ocean air that soothes my soul and refreshes my spirit like nothing else. Perhaps it is because the ocean's power and vastness brings me closer to God.


And, there is no better bunch of people to do it with.  I love you guys!