Gloria and I had a serendipity moment last Thursday. In case you have forgotten “serendipity” is something you discover or experience while looking for something else.
After visiting with Willie and Linda Burns, our long time friends at Morehead City who lost their daughter Allison to cancer, we rode over to Atlantic Beach to see the ocean. We drove down to Fort Macon State Park where there is a pavilion, a nice boardwalk to the ocean and two very nice sheltered areas where people can sit, enjoy the ocean breeze and keep out of the hot sun. We were delighted to sit under the shelter close to the water. The temperature was 92 degrees at 4pm – much too hot for us to take a walk on the beach.
We sat under the shelter and watched the seagulls take off and land. The ocean was almost as calm as a lake. Hundreds of beach goers lined the shore with their umbrellas, tents, chairs, and towels. Other hundreds were in the water swimming or surfing or bobbing up and down as the waves came in. Small boats paraded back and forth in front of us and in the distance we could see commercial fishing boats making their way back to the Beaufort Inlet after a long day of deep sea fishing.
With the death of Allison on our minds and preparing for the memorial service on Friday, the ocean and all its surroundings provided the perfect place to deal with our emotions, reflect on the loss and grief of our friends and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts. We sat there in silence for over thirty minutes not wanting to move, not wanting to disturb the tranquility of the moment, not wanting to miss something that God might be saying to us as we sat in His beautiful outdoor sanctuary.
As we drove away, Gloria remarked about how refreshing it was to be in that special place given the reason for our coming to Morehead City. We came for the funeral but our serendipity at Fort Macon State Park was experiencing God, sheltered from the sun, and being cooled by an ocean breeze blowing upon us like the refreshing, uplifting breath of the Holy Spirit.
Back home on Saturday, I opened one of my favorite meditation books entitled “Dare to Succeed, a Treasure of Inspiration and Wisdom for Life & Career”. The message that my eyes lifted off the first random page that I opened said it all, “Sometimes the most important and urgent thing we can do is get away to a peaceful and anointed spot.” To which I said, “Amen and Amen”
In His Love,
Charles
