a standing ovation...

He said yes to me Friday morning, but as the afternoon wore on, the sun slid behind the clouds.  Sometimes I am really good at denial and will push my case for a maybe-clear-sky right up to the end... but just looking at those clouds, I knew I had to admit defeat.  Instead of sunset at the beach, I decided we could just stay home, but he put his foot down and whisked me off for Mexican food and a margarita.  Before dinner even arrived, as if I still had any bargaining chips left, I put my own foot down... but Sunday, okay?

My soul craves the beach.  The air. The light.
The rolling waves that drown out the noise in my head, the chaos of my thoughts, the rambling, constant to-do list that I can't stop adding to.  It makes me free to wander, to take time to seek the small and humble gifts that are placed in my path. I feel small and unimportant in the best kind of way... for this hour, or two, I don't need to make a decision, or think about a single thing.  And if I look down, and find I am soaked to the knees in salty surf, I laugh into the breeze.

Eric is the best finder-of-heart-shaped-treasure... but as I stroll and seek, I find three.  Three.  Camden asks why you would need three hearts, and starts rambling on about science and the havoc it would create.  Again laughter tumbles from me... I don't need three hearts, but I love that God put three hearts in my path tonight. Yes, unimportant and loved beyond measure, all at once.

When the sun falls low, and I hear the park ranger interrupting the ocean's song with his atv, I know it is almost time to go, and I am pulled from my chair, almost impatient to watch the sun sink and kiss the beach goodnight.  I look down the shore and realize I am not the only one standing.  Not the only one who couldn't even bear to sit on the edge of her seat waiting for what was to come.  And when you know that Monday is the only thing beyond the horizon, it seems just right to give this last glimpse of the weekend a standing ovation.