Go To
The Beach
“Sometimes
in the waves of change, we find our new direction.”
Oh, how I love that quote. It’s the reason why I write.
Oh, how I love that quote. It’s the reason why I write.
To see God’s purpose in
new directions.
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| Kerferd Rd Pier, Melbourne |
Change
comes in waves and alters life for all of us. Some can even say for them, this change came on the crest of real waves.
My
parents arrived in Australia on a tide which not only delivered them into each
other’s lives, but washed new life into their souls when they discovered the
tender mercies of God.
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| Kerferd Rd Pier, Melbourne |
As the daughter of
post war immigrants, I'm wrapped in a deep longing for the stories of those
displaced and replanted in a new homeland. Australia has welcomed new settlers
for centuries. Some came by choice, others ... not so willing. All fashioned
identities to match the upside-down landing place they came to call home.
In doing so, many
left a piece of themselves behind.
But nothing is ever
lost. We thread our history through life by the things we hold onto. The
memories, the tokens and values. And the new discoveries which transform our
destiny.
Two weeks ago, my
Beloved and I visited the beach down the cove from the landing docks where my parents
arrived in Melbourne. Hobson’s Bay has been welcoming immigrants since the days
when convict ships swayed onto our shores. It’s the stage for reinventions, a
letting go of the past and the place where first footfalls declare chapter one
in newly written lives.
It’s also the
landing place for many of my heroes and heroines.
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| Kerferd Rd Pier, Melbourne |
Displaced and
washed up on a shore they know little about, they set foot on boards which
will lead them into waters deeper than the ones they’ve just travelled. Waves of
trouble will knock them over and just when they think they’re sunk… they’ll
find the treasures they longed for… right under their feet.
My 'go to the beach' challenge allowed me a glimpse at the horizon. The one which separates my characters from their old world and their new one. I normally ponder the beaches of Phillip Island where many of my stories are set.
This time, I watched the waves roll in as a reminder of why I'm writing these stories in the first place. To explore God's direction on the waves of change.
Is there a significant beach or landmark in your family's history?
Blessings for a wonderful weekend,
I'll be posting next week from beyond the Pacific Ocean. I'll be in San Antonio, Texas for the 2014 RWA conference.
I'll be posting next week from beyond the Pacific Ocean. I'll be in San Antonio, Texas for the 2014 RWA conference.
