We had so much fun playing in the volcanic sand... and the surf with its HUGE waves that knocked us over again and again with great force.
While we were there, we had many "out of the ordinary" moments. I mean c'mon, how many times do you have a candy and fish vendor walk up to you on the beach?
And, probably the MOST hilarious moment of the day was when a mariachi band walked up and began playing la musica. One word. RANDOM. :)
However, one moment for me stands out above the rest.
I was sitting on the sand, watching the kids play, when a family walked up and stood next to me. At first, they were admiring the beautiful blue water... just standing there. Then, I heard the adults trying to encourage the kids to get in the water. All of a sudden, one little girl strips down to her underwear and runs into the waves. The force of those HUGE waves knocked her over immediately... and, as soon as she resurfaced she let out a laugh that was pure joy. Her smile lit up the entire beach.
Then, I turned back around and watched as the family tried to convince the older, preteen boy to go join his sister. It was very evident that he was afraid... he obviously had no bathing suit like his younger sister. With all of his fear, he was trying desperately to remain on the dry sand. But, the women in the family would NOT hear him... I turned around and watched as they huddled around him and took off his clothes. Immediately, I felt sorry for this kid... how humiliating and embarrassed he must feel... left in nothing but his underwear... I wanted to help cover him, hide his nakedness. In what seemed like only a few seconds, they were dragging him down to the ocean where he would join his sister.
His sister gave him a look like, "It's ok... yes, it's wild and dangerous... but, it's ok... you'll be safe." Then, he slowly tested the water and the waves. Timid at first, then his confidence grew a little more each time. The first big wave that hit and pushed him into the sand, I thought... "Oh no, game over..." Everyone got silent and waited on his head to resurface... Then, just like his sister, he came up from the bottom laughing with such JOY that it literally brought tears to my eyes.
It was obvious that these children had never seen the ocean before, much less felt its power and played in the wild waves.
It was a Holy moment for me. A gift.
On the way home from dinner last night, D and I were walking and talking about our own lives "at the shore." Asking the question... where is God calling us to strip down and run with abandon?
It's a good question. A Holy one. A gift.
