A Place to Count Your Blessings

Counting your blessings, one footstep at a time.

Our busy lives don't often have time for contemplation, nor the quiet with which to think.  We all need that, however; that break in the routine, the chance to let the worries of the world float away for a little while so we can give thanks for our blessings.

Last night I was in search of the perfect shot, the moment when the sky turned vivid hues as the sun set in the west, enough so that the colors would reach around to the eastern points in the horizon above the ocean.  I had taken photos of the sunrise at the Surfside Beach Pier, and wanted to see how the end of the day looked at the infamous "Longest Pier in Myrtle Beach"- the Springmaid Beach Resort Pier.  I walked alone on the beach with my camera, from one side of the pier to the other, and back again, watching the sun set behind me and how the sky changed colors.  It was not the night of the most spectacular sunset.  In fact, it was just ordinary.  What was extraordinary was how my attitude lifted....the stress of the past few weeks melted away, like footprints in the sand erased by the waves onshore.  This quiet end of the beach is private, and timeless. Some vacationers at Springmaid Beach Resort stopped to talk with me for a bit.  The husband, Jim, is a Presbyterian pastor, and this is his annual vacation week to write sermons.  "There is a special quality about spending time talking to God at the beach," he said with a smile, "You do remember, that Jesus was a fisherman?"  His wife patted his arm, and they walked on, hand in hand.

As they walked off I carefully put my lens cap back on my camera and looked back at the surf.  Maybe photos of the evening sky was not what I needed to capture.  I needed this moment of quiet.