The Beach, The Snow, a Trace of Grace

The Beach, The Snow, a Trace of Grace 

Summertime, a time for bliss, a moment of being reminded that the heat can bring us comfort and joy but pain and blisters as well, since we tend to dwell in the house of the Sun. Something strikes me every time I walk the beaches no matter whether the sand is north or south, east or west, the reminisce is the same, the beach, no matter where in the world, leave me traces of grace. 

Winter time, a time for bliss, a moment of being reminded that the cold can bring us discomfort and gloom, but also solstice and holistic moments since we tend to dwell inside the house much more than outdoors. Something strikes me every time I take a walk down the street or parking lot. Everything is covered with snow, and the wind, the wind so harsh it blows the snow up over the hoods of cars and makes new shapes out of landscapes and trees. 

 

Both are natural events to either walk with a loved one or alone, it is these walks on the sand or snow that shapes my life. I know that I, like the snow drifts and sandy beaches, am not perfect, and I like the hands of time, I too have evolved over the years into something I would like to share. 

My body is a little worn out, to say the least, some parts have been torn, a limb, a soul or even the heart, thus with the memories inside me, this pain could never part. Don’t get me wrong, the body still works like it should, it’s just not as new as some others around me but what you can’t see inside me, is covered with skin, as it hides the love, the compassion and kindness deep within. 

My skin is brown, my eyes are brown and my hair is grey. I usually don’t stop to think about how I look, except for some reason, this time it is different and as I walk the snow banks and sandy beaches, it comes to me, what is normal is never the same. 

The beaches all have their own personalities, their texture, their warmth, their purest desires to kiss the sea. Whether the water is blue or white, only the eyes can see. I often stand there and watch the transformation from day to night, and what how the sand changes color and shines like diamonds on the shore, reflecting the bright yellow moonlight. 

The snow is pure white, it covers everything that doesn’t cause it to melt. It can hide colors, change shapes and create new visions of beauty of what might not have been appealing to the eye. I watched the transformation for day to night and see how the snow changes color and shines like diamonds on the ground, reflecting the bright yellow moonlight. 

 

Night and day is a contrast to our senses. It allows us to see things differently when we change the light. What is normal during the day, is and always so much differently viewed when standing there at night. 

In the daytime, you can see every wrinkle the sea carves into the sand, yet at night, the sand looks to be as smooth as glass. Don’t get me wrong, these beaches still look pretty good at night, but when you think about it, what is normal during the day, is so much different than looking at it at night. 

So does the snow when it covers the landscape. It makes trees look fuller, healthier and larger. It covers rooftops and hides the color of the tiles, the paint on the windows and the grass is no longer green. It’s a transformation we all have seen taking place and hardly ever connect it as traces of grace. 

So do the clothes we wear when we go out on the town. We change as we change the cover, and with time, when the charade or purpose to cover is over, we return back to normal and see our creation in our usual plain sight. The beauty, the view and the perception is all what the eyes and mind can see.

The sun and the moon can either hide or reveal the flaws on the beaches and the sand. It can detail every shell or seaweed washed ashore or hide in in the darkness so it blends. We move our eyes to catch the moment, we see things as they are at the moment of time. 

But what we don’t realize is the grace it gives us to see so much, yet so little every spell the world moves around a little and changes it in time. What was a pure snowy covered pasture, turns into a brownish muddy field. The same place, a different time and the eyes can see the change. 

We see things as they appear and disappear, depending where you are and what you see or feel. What is seen as beautiful can change into a state of ugliness, and what can be covered can be uncovered to reveal what’s real. I sat and pondered this and it stuck with me, that my life is visual as it is real, but what I see, feel or what I hoped it looked at, is only as real as me. In all reality, the truth sometimes escapes me and what is normal might not be as normal as I thought it would be.

So traces of grace gives me the opportunity to see the good and bad, the ugly and the beautiful all at the same place at a different time of day or stages of my life.  My life-cycle is much like this grace I saw; it gives us light at day and darkness at night yet, realistically nothing has changed except the way you see it for the moment in time you stand and say, even what is normal can change. 

Traces of grace on the beaches, traces of grace in the snow, traces of grace I can see from my eyes. What God has given me is a gift to see the beauty and the dangers of life in a different shade of grey. My body, although beat up and all worn out, can be covered up just like the clouds can hide the sky and appear to be normal and youthful in the eyes of grace. Life is indeed, what we make it out to be and still be normal.

God loves us all so much, he gives us this amazing gift to see life in many different ways. Through his eyes of grace, he gives you love, mercy, kindness, compassion and humility. He give you and me the ability to see what we need to see in order to understand our lives better and be more whole. God has faithfully given us everything we need to understand life. He has shown forgiveness, mercy and hope.