It was early Saturday morning at the shore. Long before the lifeguards would drive up in their Jeeps to sit sentinel atop their wooden stands and a few hours before the beach would be polka dotted by cheerful umbrellas. It was the peaceful time before my town begins to feel less like home and more like a tourist's paradise. Mike and I shared a towel and lazily watched as my brother and his son went for a swim. We shaded our eyes as the sun continued its ascent above the tide and the day grew brighter. Now and then I could hear my nephew's shouts and my brother's answers on the gentle breeze blowing in off the ocean. They were jumping waves. My brother would grab hold of Daniel's hands and they would leap just in time to be swept up and over the foamy white crests. Their laughter mingled and rode the waves all the way back to the shore where Mike and I sat.
As we watched, I was reminded of a time not too long ago, when my dad would bring me down to the shore after work. Long after the lifeguards had taken down their flags and driven off in their Jeeps and a few hours after everyone had packed their things and headed home for dinner. It was the peaceful time when my home regained the simplicity of a tiny seashore town and lost the glow of a tourist's paradise. And we would jump the waves. I quickly learned that not all waves can be surmounted. Some arrive too quickly or are too large to be jumped, and instead you must dive right through them. You have to take a deep, brave, breath and become one with the wave. Become one with the power, the surge that threatens to carry you off and trust that you will come out safe and sound on the other side. And still others, well others, they knock you down. When you get caught in limbo, unsure of whether to jump or dive, the wave arrives anyway. It robs you of your breath, leaves your eyes stinging with salt and your hair peppered with sand. And at those moments, when all you want to do is cry, you have to laugh. Laugh and get ready for the next wave that will inevitably come your way.
As I sat and watched my brother teach his son the same lessons my dad taught us I felt a calmness wash over me. Because really, of all the things I have learned in my life, this is one of the greatest. Jump, Dive, Get Knocked Down, but keep smiling and laughing through it all. And as I thought about this inevitable truth learned through the natural lesson of swimming with my dad, I did what any grown woman would do. I grabbed Mike's hand and ran into the ocean. And together, we jumped the waves.
Today we stood at the edge of the world. Felt the rush of falling water fulfilling its divine destiny. Watched the green earth rise up toward the sky, arms outstretched toward heaven. And I felt just a little bit closer to God.
Because somehow, somewhere in the roar of this creation I was finally able to just be still and listen.
Today I hope you marvel. I hope you stop and breathe and listen. I hope the world around you opens up to boundless opportunities. I hope you walk in light and bathe in unthinkable beauty. Today beyond all days... I hope you take the time to really live.
We wanted to kick off today with great big THANK YOU to Miss Meredith Perdue of & Unlimited Photography for being one of the sweetest people we've ever met. Umm..ever. We first met Meredith when she came to one of our workshops last July. She sat directly across from me smiling not stop and laughing at all of my jokes (even the really bad ones). Needless to say, it was love at first laugh. And it has been an absolute joy to call her a friend ever since. Meredith is just the kind of person that makes other people feel good. She's a people builder, she loves with her whole heart, and there isn't a selfish bone in her body. I wish everyone could have a friend like her. And we're just lucky enough to say we do.
Well a few days ago, we got a little package from Meredith (which is not at all uncommon from her. reference said sweetness, et al above) and in it was the You Wash, I'll Dry towel that we blogged about a few weeks ago. But here's the kicker. Meredith gets extra brownie points um times a MILLION in that she had already ordered this for us before we blogged it, and little did we know it was already on its way to us from merry old England. See what I mean? Sweetest. Person. Ever.
Meredith, we love you. Like no, really, we LOVE you! You are an amazing friend. And honestly we just can't thank you enough for that. But let me tell you this...this towel will be put to good use.
And for all of you who are new to the blog and are asking yourself "what is all this you wash, i'll dry business,"...well, first of all, welcome! We are so glad you're here and hope that you'll go ahead and stand up and introduce yourself like the first day of class. :) And after you do that, you can head here to our about page to read where "You wash, I'll dry" comes from. OR, you could probably get a MUCH better idea of it by just watching this. :)
So today just turned into a very exciting day here on the J&M blog.
It wasn't supposed to be.
This exciting, that is.
It was only *supposed* to be a Before & After of some landscaping we did over the weekend. A little bush here. A shrub or two there. But we very quickly realized that it would be very hard to show you the landscaping without also showing you the front of the house.
Problem.
Because see, I wasn't ready for that. Not.....quite.....yet. There's still tweaking to be done. There will always still tweaking to be done.
And sometimes in life it is the things that we are not *quite* ready for, but we push ourselves out of our comfort zone and do them anyway....that make the biggest difference.
Yea it's not perfect. Lord help us, it may never be. With our crooked little porch and the stairs that still need to be done. But still...it shows just how far we've come.
And I think it's something to be proud of. For all of us out there who weren't quite ready, but we went for it anyway....I think it's something to be proud of.
So yea, it's a very exciting day here on the J&M blog.
shrub shrub shrub. Please do not ask me what any of these things are. I just pointed at the pretty ones. :)
Life with J&M
