Twenty-foot high white waves crashed into the shore of the Outer Banks. With my feet buried in the sand I felt the cold water engulf my ankles and shoot up my legs. I sucked in air as the icy cold water caused goose bumps to form all the way up my body to my scalp. I watched as the waves would swell into intimidating walls of water and then crash in a spiral of fury with a large rumbling roar. I thought to myself how appropriate that Jennifer should mean white wave. I opened my arms, arched my back and looked to the sky. I embraced the strength and beauty of the ocean in that moment and felt more centered then I have in years. A gust of warm air wrapped itself around my neck and trickled down my back like a sun-lit scarf. A warm tear ran down my cheek.
A seagull limped along the foamy edges of the sand. He had a broken foot that faced backwards which made it difficult for him to walk, so instead he hobbled uncomfortably. He finished sunbathing, lifted both of his feet and soared above the waters break. Despite his deformed foot, he flew with no problems and gracefully dove and spun in delight. He was magnificent.
The recent storms had eroded the beach and left some of the homes on shaky foundation. These homes take so much pounding storm after storm. How many times can they break before they shatter? Instead of throwing their hands in the air and giving up, these home owners placed new foundational beams next to the old one’s and reestablished the base of the home. A new foundation was laid in order to face the next storm.
A seagull limped along the foamy edges of the sand. He had a broken foot that faced backwards which made it difficult for him to walk, so instead he hobbled uncomfortably. He finished sunbathing, lifted both of his feet and soared above the waters break. Despite his deformed foot, he flew with no problems and gracefully dove and spun in delight. He was magnificent.
The recent storms had eroded the beach and left some of the homes on shaky foundation. These homes take so much pounding storm after storm. How many times can they break before they shatter? Instead of throwing their hands in the air and giving up, these home owners placed new foundational beams next to the old one’s and reestablished the base of the home. A new foundation was laid in order to face the next storm.
This was a trip for my family to get away and regroup. We laughed until our bellies hurt chasing our Yorkshire terrier puppy, Abigail around the house. We yelled at the TV and cheered on our Skins as they defeated the Cowboys. We were shocked to find out about the death of Paul Newman and talked about his life over breakfast. We discussed the presidential debates. We reminisced about beach trips in year’s past. We ate amazing food, drank sweet martinis and complained about not getting our bread fast enough. (Well, that last one was just me.) It was just a normal vacation without cancer looming over us. I think my mother said it best, “The glow in your cheeks was not from chemotherapy and radiation … but from Carolina sun.” We will never be the same, but we will move on and embrace that powerful and beautiful white wave, soar high despite a crippled foot and lay a new foundation.
