Post 106 from lower North Carolina
Hello All~
It is early spring here in lower North Carolina. The azaleas are blooming; a little prior to the famed Azalea Festival in Wilmington but lovely, anyway. This shot of wildflowers was at the Fort Fisher Ferry landing dock. South of Carolina Beach, then Kure Beach is the southern-most blockade point in North Carolina of the Civil War, Fort Fisher. It has a great museum. On down the road a half mile is a fine small museum full of local fish and waterway specimens and habitats and a quiet little beach appropriately named Fort Fisher Beach.
I took the ferry ride over; $5 per car, one-way, over to Southport and did not know that it was Spring Festival days there. My plan had been to go up route 17 to Shallotte where I have applied for a job but that plan was definitely shelved with all the traffic. I have been to Southport several times so I only went to one local art gallery then zipped back to the return ferry line to catch the 4:15 return to Fort Fisher.
Wellll, that derailed also; the load cut-off ended just before me and because of increased traffic, they slowed the schedule, not increased it...next ferry 6:15! I job searched by phone and enjoyed being the first in line getting off the ferry. I found it really interesting to see how the ferry Captain gauges the tide and current and swings the big ferry right into line of the loading ramp. It is mechanically lowered for the cars to exit off the ferry back onto land.
I am holed up in a wonderful little inn that I have also been to many times, starting when my children were just 4 and 10. It is still a joy to come here and now I know a few of the locals with whom I had dinner my first night.
At the inn, I am trading a reduced rate for helping with maid duties as the rooms turn. Works for me!
I challenged myself to eat from grocery purchases; making from scratch, not eating meals out in restaurants but I forgot that the unit I am in only has a microwave. I am surprised at what can be done in it though; I have never tried cooking hard pasta but Voila! I was successful. Pita sandwiches for lunch strolling any beach at hand.
Last night, I caught sunset at the Fort Fisher beach. Found a pair of seagulls people watching. I watched them watch the waves roll into the barrier pylons in the fading light.
During the day in my car rides, I am listening to teaching Cd's; here is a good reminder that I heard today that was very healing to me.
No matter what your losses are here on earth; they are but a moment in time, while our victories are throughout all eternity.
By the time a person is in their mid-fifties, "life" has happened. You have likely suffered loss; be it a job, parents, significant body parts or even children. While these are horrible things, they are fleeting.
Neglect, abuse, hunger, mental illness; all included. They are but a moment in time.
Time seems to spin out as we wait for things to happen, but I have stopped quizzing God on why this 'job thing' is taking so long and am instead, trying to just live in the moment and enjoy the moment. Quit analyzing things overly much and be in a place where I can then hear things I may need to hear.
There may be a spot that God would like us to be in but until we are ready for it and will not oppose ourselves in it, the door will stay closed. Meekness is not being a doormat for another person to take advantage of you, it is being willing to hear from and to do, for God. It takes a huge person to be small in that respect.
Remember that record in Genesis where God closes Noah, his family and the animals into the ark? The converse is also true. When God opens a door, it *will* be open so my prayer is to be awake, be ready to make the leap when the green light comes. Some day, I may know the answer on the timing, or, I may not.
I do know that God wants us to be successful and so it may be that if we can step aside and learn some thing He really wants to teach us for the next spot He would prefer us to be in, then things will change. We always have free will, we are not pawns on a chessboard but it is also true, that we can grow into a spot that God wants us to be. As we act, the information or situation comes. We see this many times in the Bible and not just with adults. Far from it.
I am enjoying being here, only four blocks from the ocean. Since it is too cold for open widows, I can't really hear it and there is a space heater going at night, but I can awaken to sunlight as it spills in the window.
I can walk the wide expanse of the beach at Ocean Isle. Hard to believe it was two years ago already, that I was there. The tide was out today and it was very flat and had a lot of shell varieties.
I never tire of the changing landscape of the sand dunes and even the pickets in fences and the beach detritus people leave behind.
I had driven all the way up through the three sections of Topsail island to Jacksonville, NC where Camp Lejeune is located. A lot of building going on there but I did not think I could call it "home". I turned around and went past Wilmington on route 17 South to Shallotte (pronounced Sha-Lote) which is between Holden Beach and Ocean Isle.
I will go back during the week and specifically go to Holden Beach. Today though, it was a spectacular view from the Odell Williamson Bridge which spans the mainland to Ocean Isle. The picture at the apex is a bit off-center, but there is no stopping on the bridge. The ocean itself is to the right of the marina, just out of view. Mainland on the left.
You can't really even see the ocean from the road in most places in lower North Carolina. There are pine tree woods and swamps and often, you have to be a local or have a really detailed map to find the road that will get you to a specific coast road. You can find unspoiled areas here and they are really amazing.
I needed the time to myself to rebuild and be refreshed for whatever comes next. It is good that I am here. It is so restful and refreshing! I want to clear my head of worries, enjoy the solitude.
I will bring you pictures from Holden Beach, which is named after the family who bought it for shillings per acre through President Wilson and kept it a private generational recreational compound.
I never get tired of the many variations of water and sand, no matter where it is. I was trying to think about why it is so peaceful to me but I can't think of a specific reason except that it is and has been so, for many years. It's funny, I have friends who rarely go to the beach and don't like it in any season. Me? I could live here if I had the right kind of job and were living inland enough from the hurricanes that do come to this region.
Twilight now; I may wrap up and go down to the pier to catch the last rays of daylight. Never too tired to view the ocean one more time in a day.
My dream job? Not so much the job but being able to see the ocean every day for a year. Now THAT would be a vision into fruition... a dream come true!
