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Viewpoint from Jane Walters 13/11/2020
 Jane Walters
Jane Walters, is the author of Too Soon, a mother’s journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to Premier Radio and UCB. She leads creative writing retreats and is a popular speaker locally and further afield. Visit: www.janeclamp.com
Reflections on the Sea
I’m writing this looking out onto Morecambe Bay, rain from the tail-end of a storm lashing against the window of where I’m staying. The view of the sea is all but obscured by low cloud and salt-spray and I’m relying on memories of previous occasions where a particularly spectacular sunrise has painted the sky with glorious colour or the sun has created diamonds on the current
 It’s an obvious statement that the sea is powerful; but there’s also an energy that infuses us when we’re near it. I find myself staring across its reaches, losing myself in thoughts that bluster about with the waves. Sometimes, I’ve yelled into it, watching gratefully as my heavy emotions get carried away. Other times, I’ve kicked around in its shallows, a child once more, all burdens forgotten for a few precious moments
So, what can being by the sea teach us?
If I’m honest, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, I prefer my days at the seaside to be sunny and accompanied by ice cream. I want to stroll along the shoreline, laughing if an incoming wave drenches my feet. I want the only irritation to be sand between my toes. Even in autumn and the more bracing days of winter, I want crisp air – however windy – and not that drizzle that soaks through to the skin
 Days like today – all bluster and mist – remind me that we can’t always have our first choice.
That sometimes we have to be content with what’s presented
The rhythm of the waves being sucked backwards only to rise up and rush forwards onto the shifting shingle help me remember that life itself has ebbs and flows. Good things as well as bad come and go, come and go
When we are tempted to feel overwhelmed and out of our depth, perhaps we could think of the surfers who (somehow – it’s a mystery to me!) manage to stay on top of the waves that would surely flatten me. Harnessing the wave’s energy and holding onto the board first with their hands and then their feet, they trust that it will hold them steady as they soar over the swirling water beneath
Life isn’t always easy
Storms do come our way
And when they do, we have a God who can speak, “Peace, be still!” and we find ourselves walking, once more, beside quieter shores
also published in the Great Yarmouth Mercury
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