West Coasting

LOOK AT ME!!  I"M AT THE OCEAN!  

With MY KIDS!!

 I am often filled with longing to spend good quality time with these three - to be some kind of a family unit, as small and as "different" as it is.  And I'm so grateful that Daniel helped me figure this trip out. I had grown very weary of trying to find affordable, accessible housing on the West Coast but Daniel stepped in and just made it happen. And Patrice overcame some major hurdles to be able to join in. And Nicole was just her exuberant, eager self, ready to have fun.

It's been hard and it's been beautiful - the traveling and moving about is just a huge challenge.  I'm exhausted after simply using the unfamiliar washroom and moving about on the carpeted floors in our room...my hands feeling bruised where the arthritis has set in. I'm wishing I could be a bit more mobile, but there are multitudes of hindrances.  There's carpet and there's sand and there's a hill that's just a little too steep on the path down to the water.

But I choose to focus on the fact that I am at the ocean with my kids!!  This trip actually happened and I can hear the waves rushing in on the beach as I lay on the bed with the open door to our room letting in the beauty.  Thankful.  Overcoming.

We've seen so much beauty out here and have experienced the weather swings of the wild west coast. The forecast was daunting - rain and clouds - but we've been pleasantly surprised.

Yesterday was hot and sunny!!  I sat on Long Beach watching the steam rise from the sand while the sun beat down on me, burning my face.  Daniel and Nicole headed out with their surf boards and I meandered down the beach taking pictures and enjoying the scenes. The cry of seagulls pierced the air as kids ran laughing and playing in shallow waters, dogs lept over the sand with wild abandon and people walked in ones and twos on the long stretch of sand, drinking in the wild beauty and breathing in the fresh ocean air.

The day before we explored another end of Long Beach and were surrounded by clouds and misty rain.  We needed layers of clothes to protect us from the cold wind that blew in off the ocean.  It was fun wandering on the beach finding little shells and rocks while the waves crashed in.  The kids have loved beachcombing and hunting for wild berries on the bushes along the trails. 

We finished our day yesterday in Tofino and had a nice supper at a place called "The Shelter".
That's what I'm needing God to be for me.
Shelter and Helper and Strength and Shield.
Always when traveling I am super challenged, but the adventure calls and I head into the storm, hoping it will be worth the cost.

And it was.