Gift From The Sea

Many years ago, I rented a house in a quaint shore town.

It didn’t have much,

But it had the one thing I needed—

A bookshelf.

It was there I first found Gift From The Sea.

In it, A.M. Lindbergh hunts for sea shells on the beach and,

With each she finds, she meditates on aspects of life—

And our need for solitude, simplicity, and strength.

As I hunted for sea shells with my daughter on Long Beach Island yesterday,

She quickly grew frustrated at the lack of “good ones” washing ashore—

And I was reminded of this quote from the book:

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.

How fitting for any hunt… not just hunting sea shells.

In life, what we hunt is never found on a straight, short path.

Our paths have high peaks and low valleys,

Our paths have sharp curves and risky passes, and ultimately,

Our paths have two demands for us:

Patience

and

Perseverance

Today, wherever you are on your path and whatever obstacle you face...

Keep working

and

Keep the faith

Most won’t understand why you continue—

They won’t even understand you—

But I do— we do—

Because we’re on the path with you.

The patient persevere.

Let it be us today.

For The Few,

Joey