Virtual Beach Walk

Yes, I'm going on a virtual beach walk. I am listening to the tide wash over the sand, the waves crashing into the rocks, moved by the mighty hand of the unseen God. Nature's God. Remembering the rush of the tide from my bedroom in the house in Manzanillo. No use trying to remove myself from my circumstances. I'm not complaining. Memory is palliative. Something has happened to the sound on my laptop, surely having exceeded its normal lifespan, such that I hear the sound of wind rattling from some distant childhood memory in the Eastern Kansas wind in summer. Combine this with the beach and the faint calls of gulls traveling overhead, unmoved by the state of the global economy. Escape to somewhere is always an escape from the limitations imposed by myself. A cruise ship, a sailboat sauntering by, in no hurry. Being, just being, not accomplishing anything, or if so, solely as perceived through the eyes of a most merciful God. I have tried very hard to be of use in this life, and by now I am convinced that this is mostly a product of the influence of the cosmos, the secular world, that has built up this expectation. But for God and a handful of like-minded souls I have been alone for a long time. But for anyone tempted to put one of those "care" emojis on this post, please don't. I do not want to see one of those. Like it or love it, but don't give me one of those "care" emojis. (We got along just fine before they came out with those). Alone is just an illusion. Walking with Emmanuel, alone is an illusion. What does the Lord require of me? Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" (NKJV) "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?" (KJV) I have dreamed of living in Mexico a number of times, to no avail. Gone are the days of picking up and taking off. Listening to music is not particularly calming. Silence is fine, ocean waves in the summer, a crackling fire in the winter, all made possible by the miracle of technology. Going to step out on the patio, lie down on my little chaise lounge and listen to the neighbors' air conditioners while I watch the sun go down.