Over spring break my husband and I went on a Southern Caribbean cruise. I am typically not the type who likes cruising very much. It feels a bit too rushed. I prefer to take my time enjoying the nearby sites and chatting up the locals. A cruise however, has a strict itinerary which only allows for small intervals of enjoying whatever locale your boat is parked at. However, my husband really needed a relaxing vacation, as work and life in general were becoming quite stressful. So we packed our bags and headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where our ship was to set sail from.
Our first stop was St. Thomas. I had never been to the Southern Caribbean before so, being the early riser that I am, I woke up at 7am the first morning of our vacation and looked out the big window that was in our stateroom. The view was exhilerating. A smile spread across my face and I was nearly jumping up and down as we approached the island. It was like something out of the Johnny Depp flick,"Pirates of the Carribean." The water was an awesome pristine blue and there were huge rock formations, which resembled small islands of their own, protruding out of the aqua blue abyss.
After waking up a very groggy husband, I proceeded ashore and we went to a nearby beach called Meghans Bay. The bay is in a square shapped inlet. There are mountains on two opposite sides and a beach on one side looking out to the Caribbean Sea. The water is calm here since it is in an inlet between the mountains. It is the only beach I have ever been to where you could see striaght to the bottom and there is no plant life on the bay floor. Just smooth white sand under the most gorgeous blue water you've ever seen.
Clint and I staked out a quiet spot on the beach and spread out our old checked beach blanket. I peeled off my swimsuit cover and sat down on the blanket. My super pale Irish skin was in dire need of some sunshine. I sat there for sometime soaking up my surroundings. I love beaches. I have found beaches to be these sort of peaceful, healing type of places. Its why I moved out of the midwest to the East Coast. It is why my husband and I drove twenty one hours to Florida in the end of December to get married on a beach. It is why every vacation I have taken in the past five years was required to have a trip to the beach. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to beaches.
This beach, Meghan's Bay Beach, was different from any other beach I'd ever been to however. It had mountains. My dad had always found peace in the mountains. When I was growing up we always vacationed in the mountains. I remember my dad driving the old pickup truck south all night until we were in the mountains the next morning. He used to always say,"Someday, I am going to retire here. Someday, I am going to buy me a mountain, build a house way up in the holar, grow a big ol' beard, and be a mountian man." He love to talk about moving to the mountains. To him it was the most peaceful place he could think of.
As I relaxed in the awesome beauty of Meghan's Bay and the lovely cliffs that surrounded it, I couldn't help but feeling connected to my dad. He passed away last Summer. It felt somehow like he had lead me to this place where we both would have felt an overwhelming wave of peace. Him because of the mountains soaring above the cove and me because of the soft sandy beach with cool crystal waters lapping up to the shore. I doubt anyone else there was having the same experience. It was definitely something precious that I will never ever forget. All I could think was,"I know you are resting in peace daddy. I know you are."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment