The Ocean's Ode

The ocean is poetry in motion...its flow, rhythm and song all reflect the profound beauty, wonder and mystery of creation. Since my first sight of it as a young child, I have felt a deep stirring in my soul each time I have encountered it, like meeting an old friend and feeling that instant connection rekindled.

Last week, Tom and I braved Covid travel restrictions and drove to the coast of South Carolina, to stay with another couple (longtime friends), in a rented house by the sea. Though it was cool and cloudy the first day, our walk on the beach was like balm to the spirit.  Early each morning, we walked the beach, catching the first rays of sun, listening to the sound of the waves and the cries of seagulls.  At low tide, the patterns on the sand were quite beautiful in the morning light and meditating as we walked, I felt the stirrings of joy that heal a winter-weary soul.

The ocean has a way of stilling and calming the spirit that is soothing, healing and uplifting.  Anne Morrow Lindburgh wrote a book titled Gift From the Sea, in 1955, when society's expectation for women was that they should be wholly focused on home and children, certainly not spending time alone near the ocean, writing poetry and books. Yet she did just that, recognizing the need in a woman's life for times of solitude and stillness:

"Certain springs are tapped only when we are alone.  The artist knows he must be alone to create;the writer, to work out his thoughts; the musician, to compose; the saint, to pray.  But (women) need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves:that firm strand which will be the indispensable center of a whole web of human relationships.  She must find that inner stillness which Charles Morgan describes as 'the stilling of the soul within the activities of the mind and body so that it might be still as the axis of a revolving wheel is still'..."

For Anne Morrow Lindburgh, the sea was the place to find that inner stillness, something that I can certainly relate to.  If you've ever been to the ocean, even if it's been a long time, you can revisit that sense of profound peace and stillness by finding that memory and meditating on the experience:

Close your eyes, imagine the ocean waves crashing against the shore; breathe in the salt air, hear the sounds of seabirds and the rhythmic ocean song; join in praise and wonder at the deep mysteries of creation. Give thanks to the Creator for the "Gift From the Sea"... Peace, be still.