“Be still and know…”

                                           

      In November, Al and I celebrated our 32^nd anniversary with a wonderful weekend at Los Osos. Friends were willing to share their beach house with us, providing a perfect opportunity to take our little canoe and go over to the coast.

      We had to buy a tide chart to know the best to go canoeing, not wanting to get stuck in the mud at low tide or end up paddling against the current at high tide. On that particular day, the weather was mild with very little wind. We found an easy place to carry (mostly drag) the canoe down to the water’s edge, put on our life jackets, pushed off from the shore and began slowly paddling around the coastline towards the back bay. People waved from a board walk and pier, where a man was using a bucket to draw up ocean water and slop it on the pier, then sweeping off the wet boards with a broom.

      It was a peaceful morning, but not especially quiet, between the sounds of music and laughter coming from nearby restaurants and the loud squeals and squawks of waterfowl congregated in large numbers out on the water. The fishing most have been especially good that morning.

      As we left the short pier behind and paddled towards a small inlet, the crowds of people and fishing birds thinned out. Al and I were pretty much alone, except for a snowy white egret standing knee-deep at the water’s edge, waiting patiently to catch something good to eat. The water was perfectly still, with such a clear reflection  that it looked like there were two birds joined at the feet, one right side up and the other, upside down! We sat motionless for several minutes, trying not to make any ripples with the canoe so that Al could take pictures.

      Finally, we backed away and continued along the shoreline of the preserve. The tall eucalyptus trees along the shore made interesting reflections on the shimmering water…a photographer’s paradise, with the blue water, good lighting and Morro Rock in the distance.

       When a man waved to us from a few yards away, we waved back. “Your canoe looks beautiful on the water,” he called out. “It’s so red…bright red.”

      “Yes, it’s hard to hide,” I said laughing.

       “It makes for a beautiful picture, with the reflection of the canoe on water.” He stood on a half submerged log taking several pictures, then asked for our email address so that he could send them to us.

       We noticed that the tide was beginning to turn around. So we thanked him before returning to the launch site. A shy seal accompanied us on the way back, popping up first on one side of the canoe and then the other.

       Our outing was much fun, great exercise and good for the soul. The calm waters, soft lighting and the lack of ocean breezes produced great reflections on the water, reminding me that when I am still and quiet before God it is easier to sense His presence and to hear His voice.

       As things gear up for the holiday season, it is my hope that we can all have those quiet moments, those times to catch our breath and focus upon God’s gift of love in Jesus. May His presence be especially close to you this Christmas and may His peace fill  your hearts.

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”  Ps 46:10 NIV