Look through those boxes tucked in the back of your closet, the ones marked “my childhood” and you’re bound to find a sea shell or two. Whether they were discovered along the sandy beach on the hike taken during that endless week at summer camp, or the carefully planned family vacation to a tropical paradise, the memory is enduring.

Check out that retired couple holding hands. See the fragile white mother-of-pearl clam shell cupped in the palm of her hand? Perhaps she felt healing of mind, body, and spirit within her grasp. Gaze past the sand volleyball net. The energetic teenagers chase each other before diving into the water to emerge with a treasured sand dollar. This is a “keeper” simply because it holds the energy of the ocean. Then spot the children building sand castles, while burying the feet of their parents. They pause to hold a spiral shell to their ear to hear the waves rolling onto shore.
Is it any wonder we covet these mementos to enrich our lives bringing beauty, wisdom, and balance into our everyday life? Perhaps that is the legendary Message in a Bottle.