Beautiful People

We were blessed to be able to spend a few days at the beach over Spring Break this year. It.was.awesome.

Years ago (like, 25), we were invited to go to Destin with some friends from our church. At the time, they had one young son, and we had Joshua and Holly. We went with them and had a great time...and became hooked on family vacations at the beach! They invited us back every year after that...for about 15 years! During that time, they had one more son, and we had two more sons...oh, the memories we made!

We finally had to stop going with them due to scheduling conflicts and it was SO SAD for me. Logan was in football all summer and didn't want to miss practices and stuff, and Holly was swimming and working. It was hard for the 6 of us to get away together. And then there was a hurricane that damaged our friend's family-owned condo, and the repairs and maintenance took a long, long time!

But, Leanne decided to rent a beach house for a week one summer, and we got to go. It was so fun! While we were there, we ran into another family we knew who were also on vacation...and they came by one afternoon for a visit. The Mom said, "I am just amazed at all of the ugly people here on this beach! It's like people think they won't see anyone they know, so they just wear whatever they want...and let it all hang out! Seriously, we are the most attractive family on this beach!"

And, y'all...she was dead serious.

After she left, Jim said, "what beach was SHE on, because I've seen plenty of..."

(and at this point, he let his voice trail off, because he had 10 pairs of eyes staring him down, wondering where in the world he was going with that statement!)

Beautiful people. It's in the eye of the beholder, huh?

Anyway, we just got back from Spring Break at the beach. It's a family tradition we started about 3 years ago before Holly got married...we thought it might be the last time all 4 of us could travel there together...and we were right! Logan and Morgan have gone on missions trips for the last 2 years during Spring Break, and Aaron has had to work. Still, with two of the boys, and our girl, we had a great time!

When our kids were little, trips to the beach were anything BUT relaxing. Seriously, the planning...the packing...the traveling...we were exhausted and frustrated by the time we even got there. But we went for the memories we hoped to make with our friends and our children. Now, though, our trips are as relaxing as we want them to be, and it.is.wonderful! Seriously. SO great! And I have lots of time to think and read and "people watch." I love watching people.

I'm not as bad as my m-i-l, though. She not only watches people, she makes up elaborate stories about perfect strangers...based on her perceptions of their actions, or their family dynamics. Example: "I saw a man eating breakfast with his young daughter at Chick-Fil-A this morning. Bless his heart. He is probably a single dad, and has to take his daughter back to her mom today. He probably lives in an apartment complex with no yard or playground equipment, so he brought her here so she can play...and have some fun before he has to take her back..."

I know.

Bless her heart.

At the beach this year, I saw only beautiful people...because my vision has changed over the years. And because I have a lot more grace than I used to. I saw the young couples on their honeymoons...beautiful! I saw older couples, in their twilight years of life, walking hand-in-hand. Beautiful! I saw one couple...the man's face was stressed and worn-looking. His wife was bald. And she was beautiful! I saw another older couple...the woman looked and acted like Katherine Hepburn. Her hair was pinned up, but, in the wind, most of it had come down and was moving wild and free across her face. Her head shook as she talked. Her man had her hand and held onto her arm, supporting her..guiding her. Beautiful! Saw LOTS of teenaged boys walking the beach...way more boys than girls. I'm thinking the girls were all laying out by the pool! And all the little kids...so fun to watch them run excitedly from the water to their families with their latest "finds..." shells, driftwood, buckets of water. Watching them, God showed me that not all families are like mine. They don't act like we do or talk like we do...but that doesn't mean they don't fiercely love their children.

One of the most beautiful sights was the large family swimming a ways down from our condo. I saw them on one of my walks. A mom, a dad, and 6 or 7 children. They stood out because they were exuberant...loud and excited...and because they were swimming IN THEIR CLOTHES! I'm talkin...the boys looked like they could've come straight from church: khaki shorts and button-up shirts. And they weren't just getting their feet wet...oh noooo! They were drenched from head to toe...ALL IN. It was beautiful!

That's how I want to be. Not always so boring and predictable...but throwing my head back and running in. ALL IN.

("...I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10)