THOUGHTS TO PONDER – “Gift from the Sea”

The above is the title of one of my favourite books. Perhaps you are familiar with Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s beautifully written account of a short break by the ocean, in which she reflects about aspects of the objects she comes across on the beach, and tries to ‘hear’ their message and discover their relevance for the busy life she leads at home in Massachusetts.  She is reminded of the value of solitude, of waiting, of expectation and of much else beside…

Last week on a journey home to Ireland I was on a ship from Cairnryan due to berth at the port of Larne at 3.15pm. We had a rough crossing, accompanied by gale-force winds which prevented us from drawing safely alongside the pier in County Antrim.  To avoid damage, the captain took us out to sea again, where we lay off the coast in a swell with howling winds till 10.30pm when the ship successfully reached harbour and into berth.  That gave me in all an extra seven-and one-quarter hours to ponder – an activity difficult to avoid when one is tossing about with only the lighthouse beacon as a marker!

I remembered the absolute power of the sea, and those many people whose existence or livelihood depends on it. I thought of fishermen who set out in all weather because they must, the lifeboat crews who risk their lives to rescue others in need, and the families who wait and watch for their return. I recalled the destructive power unleashed by the tsunami two years ago on those in its path….

It’s impossible, I think, not to be overcome by the sight of the sea in its vastness stretching into the horizon - both awesome and marvellous. It’s a world of unseen marine life, immeasurable pulsating energy, combining elements of depth, movement, challenge, risk and sustenance. In some ways a metaphor for the mystery we define as God…

On board ship there were lighter moments, too, moments when there was a relaxing of the normal reserve among strangers and a growing sense of community among the not-very-many passengers, as people began to chat and to share friendship and humour (one man was inconsolable at missing ‘Coronation Street!!’) We received many welcome text messages from family members, and at each of the three failed attempts to approach the harbour again we could see the lights of home on the hillside...  It was strangely comforting to know that our friends and family were there waiting to welcome us home…

          ‘In contemplation the soul withdraws itself from the seashore, and entirely loses sight of land, in order to whelm itself in that vast sea and impenetrable abyss of the Divine Essence’                 (P. Jose De Jesus Maria.)

Mary McMahon (on terra firma!)