Seas the Day

Recently I had an opportunity to leave Thistle Cove Farm and drive to Thistle Cove Cottage.

The view from my cottage windows is almost as nice as the view from my farm house windows.

It's not a "beachy" place; rather, it's a place that envelopes, is cozy and peaceful and is the only place in my life where I don't have to take care of animals. This isn't meant as a complaint, merely a comment, but since Dave's death, my life has been work, work, work and more work. It's taken a lot out of me - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - to keep the farm going and I'm beginning to see the ragged edges of overwhelming exhaustion. Close friends tell me that same exhaustion made its appearance a long while ago but, in my stubbornness (or tenacity as I prefer to think) I've pushed it back in order to keep moving forward. I enjoy work but am beginning to think there's more to life...lol! 

While staying on Captiva Island, Anne Morrow Lindburgh wrote

"Don't wish me happiness

I don't expect to be happy all the time...

It's gotten beyond that somehow. 

Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor.

I will need them all."

If you've wished me these things, thank you and if you've prayed for me, thank you and God bless you for I've needed the prayer more than anything.

A few quotes from her book stand out and here I include two more..."The most exhausting thing in life, I have discovered, is being insincere. That is why so much of social life is exhausting; one is wearing a mask. I have shed my mask."  

This is one reason I now live behind a locked gate and, probably, always will (safety being another reason). As I age (thank God for the gift of birthdays!) it takes harsh amounts of energy to be in the company of insincere people and it's simply easier to avoid them. I lack the patience (if ever I had it) to suss the truth from the lies and would far rather use my energy toward things that bring happiness, joy, niceness, kindness to my life. Years past, I would come home and relate an incident to Dave and asked, "What was that all about?!" and he'd respond, "You just don't get it, Jeremiah (his pet name for me), and you never will. Even so, you may thank God for it." I didn't/don't understand the masks and so have taken the easy road by removing myself from the company of most, especially those with masks.

and another quote...

"I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before."  Being without Dave isn't as good as being with Dave but I've learned...am learning...again, to cherish the richness, the fullness, the sheer life God has given me and am busy fulfilling the expectation for me to continue to live. (Yes, I am a slow learner but, eventually, I do learn -smile-.)

She writes, "Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves."

Ahhhh...solitude! Dave and I always gave each other the gift of solitude so when we came together it was all the sweeter. We never felt the need to be in each other's pockets when we could simply be together by sharing the same house, car, farm, walk, plane, etc. We also never felt the need to chatter all the time; we could sit in companionable silence and enjoy each other's company. On the other hand, we could talk for hours and never run out of things to say.

Gift From The Sea was an instant classic and remains so today. If you've never read it, please do yourself a favor, find the quiet time and give this gift to yourself.

One of the Cottage wall adornments is the above...it's to remind people who stay at Thistle Cove Cottage of the important things of life. So many of us get bogged down in making a living that we forget to make a life. Making a life is making memories by doing the important things...reading to the children in our lives, greeting the sun rise with a cuppa in hand, taking a prayerful walk, telling...and showing...those we love we love them, preparing and sharing a meal. 

I maintain one of the most important things in your life should be yourself, your family and your home, followed by friends. In my life, God and morning devotions head up that list and He and the devotions keep me grounded. I shudder to think how angst ridden, nervous, anxious and just plain cranky I'd be without Him! Home is my first sanctuary and is where I'm nourished, cosseted and comforted from the friction and burden of daily living. 

I've tried to spill over these same feelings of sanctuary, coziness, comfort and caring at Thistle Cove Cottage. Last year, one young woman visited with her husband and toddler son and left the above note with drawings:

Advice from the Ocean

1. Be shore of yourself

2. Come out of your shell

3. Take time to Coast

4.  Avoid Pier pressure

5. Sea life's beauty

6. Don't get Tide down

7. Make Waves

Don't you like it? I only wish I were half as clever!

I don't get to my small Sanctuary nearly often enough but enjoy it when I'm there. When I walk through the door, the sense of comfort is physical and unconsciously my breathing becomes slower and deeper.

Thistle Cove Cottage is available for rent; if you're interested, e-mail me or click here and scroll down for the calendar. Blog followers receive a discount because if you've been reading my blog, you deserve to share my Gift From The Sea. If you go, don't forget to sign the Guest Book.

NOTE: I would so love to have this job for a year, here.

Blessings ~ Anne Morrow Lindburgh ~ Gift From The Sea ~ Scoraig, Scotland ~ Thistle Cove Cottage ~