Vacation part 3

While in Florida our daughter took us to her and the children’s special walking spot. At the end of their block is, get this, a cemetery. It is a very large complex laid out in blocks covering probably fifteen acres. The road ways are older blacktop so they are easy for the grandchildren to navigate. That, coupled with the fact that there is almost no vegetation (no grass, no trees, no bushes or flowers) makes it a safe place to let the kids run off some energy while she has an unobstructed view.

On our tomb walks I looked at the gravestones and wondered what those still living were trying to say about the now dead. Some simply marked the spot with a name and a date. Some had elaborate engravings of flowers, plants and animals. Some equally elaborate engravings of sports scenes or equipment. Some had flowerpots attached. Some had birdbaths, etc. I wonder what my children will some day say about me.

To get to the graveyard we had to cross a 4-lane highway – no crosswalk, no traffic light. Now, living in New Jersey, crossing any 4-lane highway without a traffic light would be suicidal, but in Milton, we rarely had to wait on more than two or three cars to pass. That included both directions of the road. I think I could get used to that.

Our time at the beach was limited because of the low temperature and limited time, but I still managed to come home with shells found while we were there. My wife and one daughter started out in the sand, then worked into the very shallow, very cold water, then finally got greedy (and soaked) as they ventured further out where the shells were swirling in the break. The water was only up to the mid-calf but the waves were soaking them when it caught them bent over to scoop up their treasures.

My wife is the picture of “exuberance” when she if finding sea shells and I have to admit some of them are exceptional. To her it is the ultimate bargain. Totally free! (That is, minus the cost of travel, meals, etc.) When we go to the beach shops she sneers at the prices of the shells being sold. (Any true conchologist would!) I have to smile because I too have spent my time looking for bigger and better “free” shells. (It is the only part of the beach that I enjoy.)

We are often told that the best things in life are free. This is one example. Every set of shells we have collected brings to our minds the attached memories. These moments of calling to memory past events are free too. True, each of these memories actually cost something whether in the cost of travel or simply in the cost of time, but the memories they create can bring incredible value to life. Value far beyond the actual dollars spent; far beyond the sacrifice of time invested.

This past Easter weekend we remembered that Christ’s death on the cross was an expression of grace beyond what we can understand. That a Holy God would offer us a path to redemption and personal relationship with Himself through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is also beyond our ability to understand. That is why they call it “faith”. But through this God offers us the gift of salvation.

This, too, is free.