Embrace the Unscripted - 2018

When earth’s oceans send waves crashing onto its beaches, the clash between land and water is clear – once the water rushes in, it must find a way to flow out.

And it will take anything in its path, with it.

We drove along Coast Highway and turned into the parking lot of Aliso Beach Park, in Laguna. I grabbed my camera, removed my shoes, and scanned the horseshoe cove while my husband, Lamb, fed the parking meter.

It was a classic, warm beach morning. I could smell the salt in the air. The ocean was a beautiful emerald green with waves lapping at the shoreline, while larger waves appeared to be stacking on the horizon. Seagulls and pelicans soared above in the crystal clear blue sky. Palm trees swayed in the gentle coastal breeze atop the tall, layered cliffs. Grey heron and brown pelicans perched on the large, protruding rock formations. Sanderlings scuttled along the white shoreline searching for food.

There was a handful of people on the beach. Inside the tot lot, young parents helped their son fill a plastic bucket with warm sand. The boy laughed as he upended the bucket, burying his knees, before he began shoveling again. A couple embraced near one of the scattered fire pits. A young man raced around a tide pool, pulling on a long string, coaxing his green and yellow kite into flight. Five boys, surf boards under their arms, watched foam-laced waves crash against the rock formations. Their spirited conversation wafted in the breeze.

Lamb sat on a bench and struck up a conversation with the father of the boy shoveling sand. I snapped photos as I walked along the beach. Cool water swirled around my bare feet.

I lifted my camera to capture the surf racing up the bank a little farther with each breaking wave. I turned to mosey onto higher ground. Unbidden, a chorus from Delta Dawn interrupted my focus.

Delta Dawn, what’s that flower you have on?

Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?

And did I hear you say he was-a meeting you today

To take you to his mansion in the sky?

I twisted toward a loud sound. The young man with the green and yellow kite, shouted through cupped hands, “Tiiiiide! Don’t turn your…!”

Without warning, the water became a battering ram as I did a face-plant. Sand filled my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. I felt it suck at my knees and feet. I couldn’t regain my balance or stand. The swift flow swept me into the pounding waves.

Suddenly I was flipped over and pushed back on shore, carving out channels in the sand. I fought for breath, as yet another wave dragged me back into the ocean. I couldn’t move my hands or legs. Wave after wave pulled me down, rolled me over, heaved me onto the beach, weighted me down with more sand, and swept me back into the strong outgoing current.

I glimpsed Lamb deep in conversation, and a group of laughing teens putting up a volleyball net, before a sledgehammer wave knocked me down. I tried to call for help, but the waves were so tall and loud no one could see me or hear me from the beach. I fought the pounding waves. I fought the panic and exhaustion.

“Let go. I am here.”

Everything went dark and quiet. I lost consciousness. My body became weightless. My life did not pass before me. No end of life revelations. Complete peace encompassed me.

I heard mumbled voices. I lay on warm, soothing sand. I opened my eyes and looked into striking eyes the depth and distance as the canopy of blue sky above me.

The eyes gave me pause. And in that moment I saw eternity. I popped up into a sitting position, embarrassed, unsure.

Tears streaking his cheeks, Lamb scooped me onto his lap and spoke gently, assuring me I would be okay. The boy’s father sat next to him, wiping heavy sand from my arms.

Lamb said, “You got caught in a riptide. Thank God we saw you when we did.” He and his new friend, Andrew, ran to the water’s edge on one of my “trips” back to shore. They struggled to keep their footing against the pull of the sand and the 10 foot waves that lured them into the hidden hazards. A third man appeared to help pull me out of the death trap I was in.

Andrew’s wife and son joined us. The little boy offered his scoop and shovel to me. I thanked Andrew. Where was the man with the infinite eyes? I wanted to thank him, too.

The three adults looked bewildered. They scanned the beach before Andrew said, “He came out of nowhere. And he’s nowhere to be seen.”

Deep within my spirit I knew that three angels watched over me – two of them human.

In that moment I embraced the day’s unscripted events.

In that moment, I knew immortal peace was inevitable.

In that moment I was reassured of His Eternal Love for me.

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