At the beginning of each year, I have what I call “My date with Jesus.”

Considering it is now February, I am a little behind on my A-game. Oh well. It still counts. And it was still a great date ☺

For the past several years He and I had our date in Seattle, Washington where I would spend the weekend with some very close family friends. I always chose one full day of that weekend to reflect on the past year, dream about the coming one, and just spend some quality and extended time with my Savior.

This year the dates did not line up for me to go to Seattle (I plan to spend my spring break there) so instead, I went to the beach.

The environments are quite dichotomous. I am used to spending this day inside, in sweats, with rain clouds (sometimes snow), a fire, a comfy couch, and a stack of books. This time I was outside, in jeans and a t-shirt, sitting on a rock cliff, and it was 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky. The ocean faded from crystal clear, to aquamarine, to sapphire blue. I missed Seattle, but I love the ocean. My soul was satisfied.

When I got there and saw the crowd I thought to myself, “What was I thinking coming down here on a Sunday and expecting it not to be crowded?” I nearly gave up finding parking when a car pulled out right in front of me. Thank You, Lord. I found the most perfect spot to have our date. It was a small cliff overlooking the water. The surrounding areas had people parading them, but since my spot required some maneuvering and climbing to get to, it was unoccupied. I am sure it was entertaining for people to watch me attempt to reach it in my flip-flops, blanket in hand, and ginormous bag of books in tow. Once I got there I realized there was this ideal little ridge that enabled to me to fully stretch out, and literally recline against a rock. Usually, when I read and write at the beach it does not last long because my back starts to hurt. However, this little nook enabled me to stay there for hours. I was in heaven. It was like the spot was made for me. ☺

For the first hour I just laid there thinking, praying, dreaming, listening to the waves caress the beach below. It was nothing short of divine.

Then I did some business with God. We talked. I wrote. We laughed. I surrendered. I must mention that normally this day of the year entails a massive amount of tears. (I make no attempt to hide the fact that I am a total crier.) Today was different. I was filled with joy, and surrounded by peace. What a gift He gave me.

From my journal:

“I am looking at the most beautiful ocean. Listening to the waves caress the shore. I find their consistency encouraging. Because, no matter how long of an absence there may be between this lull and the next swell, I know that there will always be another wave. No matter the length of the ebb, the inevitable flow will return. Unless of course gravity stops doing its job and the Moon’s gravitational forces are no longer strong enough to disrupt the balance…Oh, Oceanography… (Hey! I did learn something in college.) It is showing me that there is reassurance, and peace to be found in the beauty around me. When I feel like life is overwhelming and out of control; when nothing makes sense; when fear threatens to win the battle with my faith; when God seems distant, I need to remember that there will always be another wave of His presence…”

After about 4 hours I was starting to get sunburned, so I went to a coffee shop and sat by a window overlooking the ocean. I do my best writing with a cup of tea at hand, so it worked out rather nicely.

Much later, as I walked to my car, I realized the sun was setting. So I stopped, sat on the sand and beheld the beauty of the Lord. What a sweet present. The perfect end, to the perfect date, with the perfect Guy, watching the sunset over the ocean. How romantic.