Welcome August

"Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me...

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand and silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ... "

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
From 'The Secret of the Sea'

When I think of August I always connect it with the sea. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I love the ocean. I grew up on Long Island. A short drive north and you were at Long Island Sound... a short drive south and you were at the Atlantic Ocean. As a child we'd join a group from our church for picnics at Jones Beach one night a week. We often had cousins visit from upstate, and a beach day was always included. As a preteen we often spent long weekends camping at a park by the Sound. A short walk from the campsite through the piney area and you were at the beach.

School was still in session in June so I never even considered it summer until the end of that month. July had the 4th of July family barbeque and a few weeks of traveling around the country. August is when we were back home. It was a whole month to just enjoy the summer, the beach, and my birthday (which unfortunately always brought back-to-school clothes, reminding me of what was ahead two days after Labor Day!).



This morning I turned the page on the wall calendar, and then changed the desktop background on my computer to show an ocean scene with a gull in flight. I pulled out Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" to read once again, as well as May Sarton's "The House by the Sea" ... perfect books for August reading.

I'm reminded of something I wrote to friends several years ago on this very subject. It's not about August, but is my own little tribute to the sea ~

I love water! I love looking at it, wiggling my toes in it, chasing waves along the ocean, or driving on winding roads, following the path of a river. I love the salty smell of the sea air, the feel of the sand as it slips between your toes, and the smoothness of the shells washed in with the tide. I've often thought it was because I grew up on Long Island, New York, where many roads lead to water. We had summer evening picnics at Jones Beach; would drive to the docks where fishing boats returned with their catch of the day; took long Sunday drives to the lighthouse at Montauk Point; and we even drove along the coastal roads in driver's education in high school.

I know loving water isn't unusual, and many people spend their summers by the sea. But the water I love the most is the rough ocean after a storm ~ and especially in winter ~ when there are few people on the beach and you can enjoy the peacefulness and the solitary moments ~ listening to the crashing surf, the cry of the sea gulls as they glide past you looking for food, the whistling of the wind intermingling with the crescendo of the waves as they roll into shore, walking barefoot in the cold sand and occasionally wetting my feet in the waves... and experiencing the power of God's beautiful gift of the sea...


Joanne