The Lure of the Sea

As hard as this may be to believe, on Monday I walked on a beach for the first time in 11 years. And what a magnificent beach it was, at Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco—beautiful green water and a tumultuous surf, wide white beach, sharp bluffs. I ended up spending a long time walking and sitting. I had it practically to myself; I saw maybe 6 people and 3 dogs (and introduced myself to all the dogs, of course!).

As I sat and gazed at that beautiful water, for the first time I could look across the Pacific and imagine that land far away that has brought such treasures to our shores and to my life—the rich culture, the delightful food, an ancient sensibility about the universe. Most of all, the joy of Luke, number one son, who traveled across that ocean to become so close to my heart.

I thought, too, of how little I knew, those times that I sat and gazed across the Atlantic Ocean, what joy and treasure would come into my heart and life from so far away in that direction—from ancient Persia, further even than my ancestors traveled to arrive here a century ago.

Worlds of joy, come to me across two oceans, and I am so much the richer for those journeys!