Dear Reader:
We are having so much fun…we’ve decided to extend our summer retreat another day and return home Friday afternoon.
So I will make this blog pretty short…the sun and surf are calling! Jackson made a ‘stop and pause’ comment while we were all sitting in our favorite rocking chairs on the porch ….upon her arrival.
In essence she said that she had figured out why this retreat (with four friends who can complete each other sentences) is so special…besides our history.
We have finally reached the place in our lives when we can stop “re-inventing” ourselves and show our “true colors” to the world…who we really are.
She continued…”When you think about it…we play roles throughout our lives…re-inventing ourselves for each: we start out as a child, sibling, a parent, grandparent, career person….none of which we are prepared for….there is no scripted role to follow…we simply adapt and adjust to each role as we grow.”
Just like there is no comparison between a newborn and a five year old in their abilities….we continue developing into that person inside of us who is screaming to get out…our real selves…the person God intends us to be.
Once we get to the place where we can let go of other people’s expectations for our role in life and forge ahead with our own personal goals…we no longer have to dress up or play pretend or be anything else but who we are.
Like an onion…the layers of deceit have been pulled and peeled until all that is left is us…special us. Then if we are fortunate enough to have friends who accept and love that person under all the layers…we finally have the opportunity to allow ourselves to be seen for who we were and are all the time.
And that my friends…if why we decided to stay another day….we all love our special friends…surrounding us…who have come in and out of our lives…losing their layers of pretense along with us… now exposed and loved for who we are.
As I walked the beach yesterday I remembered a line from the book I am reading where the character is writing in her ‘journal of truths’ and observes:
“God is teaching us about life with the waves coming in and going out…removing the footprints of man on the beach each day…At first I thought of this as a loss…but now I see that God is cleaning the slate for us …so we can be surprised and filled with joy for the arrival of each magical day ahead… with new opportunities awaiting us…and a heart whose vessel has been emptied to allow more love to flow in.
So until tomorrow…Thank you God for helping us reveal our inner selves and find the people who are willing to accept us for who we really are…a child of God.
“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh
* We are sad that Libby couldn’t make the retreat…not feeling well…I told her that the empty rocking chair on the porch says it all….but soon she will be rocking again…no doubt.
* We’ve decided the longer you live…the longer the birthdays should last…we continued with Brooke…Libby will have to wait until she is back up and going.
ichaseferalcats
John Turner
Legally Ohm
Becky Dingle
I smiled all the way through this blog, except when I read Libby wasn’t there. (Hope she gets well soon.) There is nothing more refreshing than a walk on the beach as the tide is going out, and the sun is coming up. It is so wonderful that God has given us such strong imaginations, because I can close my eyes and: hear the roar of the ocean, hear the laughter of friends, feel the sand beneath my feet, see the orange streaks in the sky as the sun slowly rises as if out of the ocean, and feel the breeze blowing on my face. I am so happy that you are really there enjoying this, and I thank you for this message this morning which is starting my day with such a happy feeling.
Hope Libby gets better! Wish I was there with you gals! Looks fun!
I think its great that you all have stayed connected through the years! Friendship is something to be cherished! Also that you all take the time to spend time with each other at the beach every year is great! And with true fri er nods there are no airs to put on, you can be you and your true friends will be right there still showing their live for you just as you truly are. I hope I can be so blessed as to have 3 friends that will remain close as you all do for years to come. People you can be yourself around and never have to walk on egg shells around. I know envy is a sinful thing but I do envy you and your friends having that kind of relationship. It’s much harder to find true friends that it looks on the surface. So many come and go and some are only friends at certain times and seem to forget you at other times. God has truly blessed you with the love of true friendship! Isn’t it a great feeling to be able to be yourself and be loved no matter your fallacies! Have fun the rest if your time with your true friends! Oh and one other thing I guess I will never understand, are the friends that are true but only one on one and cannot accept other friends, only one friend at a time. To me the more the merrier! And I guess I have reached the age where I don’t care what people think of the real me. I am the real me 100% of the time, take me as I am or don’t. Some might say that’s a bad attitude, I say it’s just real and I like real. Hiding things from others so they might like you isn’t real. I sm who God intended me to be and that’s who I am and will be to all I meet. If that’s a bad attitude, well then I guess I have a bad attitude. You could probably verify this by adking Mrs. Townsend. I have always been me like me or not! HAVE FUN! Enjoy every last minute with you TRUE friends. Oh snd I hope your missing friend will be well soon, I know the rest of you miss her!
Best of times being with people who know us and love us for who we are..