Expanding

This morning I took one of the bikes from our shed and rode down to the beach. Just me, the bike and my iPod. What a spectacular morning. The sun is shining and there's a nice cool breeze. True it's kinda cold- I had a hat and gloves on but it's still beautiful.

My favorite part of the beach is walking up and seeing the grass. I know it seems odd but there is just something about the grass that grows on this stretch of beach here in Hilton Head, SC. It has this soothing feel to it. It's just there enjoying the breeze and the sounds and the smells of the beach. It has a prime view of sunrise and all the people that walk by and the expansive ocean. I just love seeing the grass, it just makes me happy.

While on my walk I noticed that the waves were bringing in a good amount of foam. At first I didn't really think anything of it. Then I began to watch it. The waves would come in and whatever foam they brought with them would join some of the foam that was already on the beach. Sections of foam became very large in a short amount of time while others seemed to disintegrate. Then the very large ones would loose sections, they would break off to be their own group and wait for more chunks of foam to join them.

This whole foam process reminded me of life and of groups of people. My family, I'll start with them since that's the foam group I was born into, is one foam group of five people and our relatives are part of our group which makes us pretty large. Then sections of our relatives disconnected. Other sections of non-related family members joined. Now our foam group is pretty freckin' huge if you ask me. We have so many friends, whom we call family and family whom we call friends.

It made me happy to watch that even those sections that broke off were still ok. In fact they were doing well. They got more sections of foam to join them and make them larger and stronger. Which metaphorically for me represents kids in a family- they leave the family nest to build their own and get bigger and stronger. They haven't left the foam group all together they are still connected by the ocean they are simply expanding in their own space before re-joining.

It's a little ridiculous really that I manage to find a link to 'real life' in such random things sometimes. Well everything is a lesson right. The question is whether or not you are willing to learn them or even see them.

I am super thankful for my ever expanding family! Thanks for being there and for joining our foam group!!!