~ 27th Day ~
Surfing...Downtown San Clemente...Laguna Beach #1.
It was so wonderful waking up in the guest bedroom of great friends... practically family. The view from their back porch is breath-taking and though it would have been a beautiful place to eat my oatmeal and drink my coffee, I choose the dining room table (that still has the same view). Jeff and Janell let me sleep in, and this was needed. This morning I would try to surf for the first time. I had no clue what I was in for.
Their son Justin, who is a year or so younger than me, came to the house with 2 of his many surf boards. Instead of riding to the beach in his truck, I followed behind him in mine 'cause I wanted to take the Rock ministry downtown afterwards. He had a window of 1.5 hours before a date with his golf clubs (another sport he is into and skilled at). We found 2 parking spots on a side street and pulled out the surf boards. Justin had brought me a cord to connect my ankle with the board... this cord played a key part in our time in the ocean waves.
To say that I ingested some salt water in this block of time, is a huge understatement. I felt quite queasy the rest of the day due to having my salt quota for the next month exceeded. It was so worth it, though! Justin was such a patience teacher and his encouragement even though I never truly got up, was sweet of him. It didn't help that I had a short board (longer boards make it easier to get up... or partially look like one is up) and the waves, though small for most surfers, were large for this amateur. I was so stoked to simply be out there trying, and Justin said he saw the joy in my face that he and every other surfer has when they are riding the waves (or the waves are riding us, as was in my case).
After some time of being pummeled by the ocean and getting frustrated that I couldn't get up and ride a wave without eating it, I layed on my board and watched Justin ride some waves like a boss. It was amazing to watch him, and a deeper respect was growing for this sport. After several minutes, when my eyes looked away from my friend to where the waves had taken me, I found myself in a precarious spot. There were some big sets of waves now coming in, and because I hadn't figured out how to dive under them or be launched over them, every wave was an anticipated beating of being rolled around like a rag-doll. It was pathetic, but this was part of the initiation to the surfing world that I clearly was not a member of yet. So the waves were coming in hard (for me) and I thought this would be a good time to go to shore and continue watching Justin. But when I turned around to the beach, there were 2 monster rocks between me and the sandy shore. The rocks were only visible in between waves. I couldn't paddle to the safety of shore and the waves I was still eating were not letting me go further out. Honestly, I was quite scared. Though I love rocks, I hadn't expected to die by one. Thoughts of my head hitting one of the 2 underwater boulders when one of the waves crashed down on me was becoming more and more threatening. Justin wasn't aware that I was in this bind, and he was too far away to call for help, so I called out to the One who is always in earshot. Praying and paddling as hard as I could, I slowly (in between waves) made my way away from the rocks and bee-lined to the beach. Justin came in from catching some stellar rides, and I told him about my scare. It was great learning how to surf and if I lived closer to the ocean, I might grow to love it... but I was ready to trade in the surfboard for my backpack full of rocks.
Downtown San Clemente was the next mission field. I changed out of my bathing suit in Tumbler and knew food was needed to soak up all the salt water I'd just ingested. The restaurant we went to last night had a phenomenal sourdough bread bowl and their clam chowder is the bomb. I really didn't need the meal after filling up on this, so when I went there by myself this day, the bread and soup were all I ordered. The view couldn't have been more pristine. The table the hostess gave me was the one Janell had wanted for the 4 of us last night. I looked kinda out of place from the other customers in their fancy clothes and sunglasses worth more than my whole outfit, but I pulled my large backpack under my chair and was glad they didn't ask me to pay before I ordered, thinking this transient-looking girl might do an "eat and run."
After comfortably feeling filled, I found a nice bench on one of the busy streets. The saying on the bench was fitting and even though no one stopped to ask about my rocks (nor did I stop anyone), I was content praying for this city and the people who live as well as vacation here. I stayed on this bench for quite awhile and it was now 3:30 in the afternoon. Jeff and Janell were at a wedding that afternoon and after texting her and asking where else she though I should venture to with my rocks, she responded with Laguna. She had mentioned this last night, and honestly I wasn't feeling it.... mostly cause I wanted to stay in the San Clemente area till I moved further north. But after praying about it, and trusting not only God's leading, but the sensitive and discerning woman of God that Janell is, I packed up, stopped at the house to write for awhile and headed to Laguna Beach. This was totally where I was supposed to go... and would remain for the next 3.5hrs.
Laguna is a sweet, little costal city... packed with people and potential soil to plant seeds of faith, hope and love. I arrived there at 6:30pm and being that it was a Friday night, the livelihood and atmosphere of the streets were thick with thirsty. So was I, and a Starbucks Chai Latte sounded swell, but I had this feeling to keep walking. A couple blocks down, this small coffee shop next to a souvenir shop was spotted... this was where God wanted me to stop and get a latte. I waited at the little window for a couple minutes before this lady called from behind me, "Be right there, sweetie." Told her to take her time, but she still hurried. I asked her what was good that had chai in it and she suggested a blended chocolate chai latte. That sounded fabulous... and it was. When she handed me the drink (and extra in a plastic cup), I told her I had something for her too. Pulling out a rock with a copper heart on it, and telling her a little bit about the "West Coast Rock Tour," she was smiling so wide. Her name was Crissy and she said "I'm a Christian too!!! And I have something for you too, if you can wait here a minute." When she came back, she handed me a "Jesus Calling" book, which happens to be my favorite devotional book. I felt bad telling her this same book was in my truck, 'cause she had personally dedicated it to me on the first page. I am going to keep the one she gave me and give the one I had to someone else. She loved this idea.
Crissy and I talked in front of her coffee shop for almost 30min. I learned a lot of past and present chapters of her life-story. It is for her to tell, but we were deeply engaged in sharing nuggets of our stories and listening to similarities and ways our joys and pain have collided. By the end of our conversation, we both had tears in our eyes. It was beautiful. Crissy also suggested a really cool local church that she goes to... and without my knowing this at the time, it would be the church Jeff and Janell attended and took me to on Sunday morning. Though I didn't see Crissy there, I know I'll see her in Heaven one sweet day because we both answered Jesus' Calling.
My blended chocolate chai only had a few slurps left when I hugged Crissy and walked on. Not a block or so down, these 2 metal chairs and table caught my eye, so I perched there to scribe some more rocks. Several people stopped to inquire of what I was doing and though none were handed rocks, they were handed the message behind "cling to the Rock" which is much more important than the rocks themselves. There was a couple that did receive not only the message of the True and Solid Rock, but a rock with one of my favorite quotes about living every day to the fullest as if it were our last. Their names were Jason and Christine. We had a short but intense conversation about faith, Christianity, and judgementalism inside and outside the church. Then they walked away... but then Jason came back after a couple minutes, gave me some money (which I tried my best not to take, without success) and then picked up a "Faith" rock and asked if he could have this one too. That he choose this rock means much more than I can explain... so much joy and praise going to God for this interaction with this couple.
A few more rocks were placed into the "ready" part of my backpack and then it was time to move to another spot. Knowing there was an hours worth of time left in Tumbler's meter and calculating the walk back to him, there was time for one more place and probably one more conversation with another heart. I walked south on the main street, turned around and took a right on a side street that was still fairly busy. Most of the shops were closed on this street, but the bars and restaurants were still hoppin' and boppin'. Passing a few clusters of people who were on a mission to get inebriated, I chose a quieter park of the street... a bench in front of a natural juice store. And then the last person of the night came.
Jack was not the average Joe. Even the way he approached me was different... as he was, and I love that about him. Jack passed me by a couple times and then stopped in front of me and said, "Are you closing up shop for the night?" I gave him a confused look and before I could ask him to clarify my confusion, he said, "Your shop there (pointing behind me), did you just close up?" When I told him I wasn't the owner, he said I was a "spit-in-image" of the lady who owned it. Jack could have been mistaken for a someone who lived on the streets... but he had just finished working and was a little shabby. He was a plumber but what he used to do was what kicked off a lengthy conversation. Jack used to be the pastor of a church in the area. He was knowledgeable of the Bible, yet the way he talked about God, walking the narrow road and Christianity was unorthodoxed.... which I was a fan of. We agreed on a lot and the little that we disagreed on was an open and not judged by either of us. I love these types of talks. I learned much from "Jack the Plumber" and because we both were artists (he makes art out of random plumbing and electrical objects) he was intrigued with my rocks. I let him pick one out and he chose a "This Too Shall Pass" rock. He told me this verse used to be one of his favorites... one he still clings to.
Sensing my meter was about to run out of time, Jack and I parted paths. I made it back to Tumbler with 10min left and drove slowly back to the house, processing all the people and stories collected in 3.5hrs. Sleep was deep that night. Little did I know that Laguna would be the evening's mission field the next night as well... and would be a "Faith Walk" that I'd never forget.
Life is too short to spend it judging.
Praying is more productive.
~Unshakable Peace, Faith and Purpose~
cling to the Rock
Psalm 18:1-2
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