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A Joyful Noise

Anne Murrow Lindbergh

Summer’s end: a meditation and celebration

September 4, 2017 by Melodye Shore

The tides are shifting, and there are subtle changes in the slant of light that shines through the sycamore trees at dawn. Summer’s waning, and here we are again, drifting slowly into autumn.

In Southern California, the changes are more subtle. And yet every season brings ashore its own treasures. This is just one of the secrets I learned by reading Ann Morrow Lindberg’s beautiful book, Gift from the Sea.  

I thumbed through my copy again last week…familiar passages, fresh insights. Like this one, which speaks to me of nature’s transitions, and to the more intimate changes in our own lives.

Perhaps this is the most important thing for me to take back from beach-living:

simply the memory that each cycle of the tide is valid;

each cycle of the wave is valid; 

each cycle of a relationship is valid.

And my shells? I can sweep them all into my pocket.

They are only there to remind me that the sea recedes and returns eternally.

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Posted in: Anne Murrow Lindbergh, autumn, Gifts from the sea, Harbor Seals, Labor Day Weekend, pelican, Seashells, seasons, tides, writing Tagged: Ann Morrow Lindbergh, autumn, gifts from the sea, harbor seals, labor day, pelicans, seashells, Tides, turban shells, waves

Seals and sea glass, and other gifts from the sea

August 16, 2016 by Melodye Shore

It’s the height of tourist season, but on this cool, damp morning, the beach is almost empty. A marine layer hugs the coastline, blanketing everything in fog. I walk at the water’s edge, soothed by the lullaby of  the drifting tide and a seagull’s muffled cries.

Gentle waves drift ashore–foamy crests on steely-gray water. I contemplate the ebbs and flows of my own life, and pull my loved ones close in my thoughts. It’s a primal urge, I think, this wanting to absorb with all our senses these “gifts from the sea.”

When the fog lifts, I scan the horizon with my camera. Could it be? At the furthest reach of my zoom lens–below the oceanfront mansions with floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive balconies–a herd of seals has taken up temporary residence on the craggy, offshore rocks.

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A seagull flaps its wings frenetically, as if to say to the napping seal, “Wake up, sleepy head!!” But the seal just blinks really slow, rolls away from this annoyance, and goes about the business of being a mammal who loves nothing more than snoozing by the sea.

Meanwhile…another type of drama!

A jogger passes me, circles back to see what I’m filming. “You a tourist?” he asks.

“No…”

I must’ve looked puzzled, because he points to my camera.

“Oh, this. I always take it with me.”

Why? Because you never know when you might come upon a heart-shaped piece of sea glass, nestled into Mother Nature’s jewelry box. And who knows? You might also find yourself at the threshold of something new –deeply satisfying but wholly unexpected.

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For Part II of my video shoot (sounds of the sea, seagulls & seals), click here.

Posted in: aliso creek beach, Anne Murrow Lindbergh, beach, california, Gifts from the sea, Laguna Beach, mindfulness, morning light, musings, Photography, sea glass, seagulls, seals Tagged: aliso creek beach, gifts from the sea, joy, laguna beach, sea glass, seals

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