A hushed silence fell over the sanctuary as the mature, frail senior pastor steadied himself when he rose to the lectern and slowly opened the Holy Bible. With enduring precision, he straightened his spectacles across the bridge of his nose before clearing his throat. Then in a soft feeble voice lacking volume, he began to share the story of the Nativity.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

At times you could almost feel yourself leaning forward in the pew to hear the whisper of God. It was as though the entire congregation was holding its breath, afraid to emit one single vowel that would interrupt the flow of words radiating the spirit of Christmas.

“I see you two are working on your tan.” The Slovakian accent came from over our shoulders as we were walking hand in hand across the muted grey slate patio at the beach resort. We turned in unison to be cheerfully greeted with open smiles by Andrea and her mother. Regaining our composure from the aftershock of being recognized from behind took a split second before we settled into charming introductions and comfortable conversation.
(Andrea and her husband are the discerning owners of our luxury condo, residing above us on the second and third floors as their own year-round permanent residence.)
Although Andrea’s mother (Matka) spoke no English, we discovered she was visiting her daughter for the winter months to escape from the cold, snow, and harsh weather of her native homeland. The wrinkles on her eyes were unique and lightly creased as if they were made for her. In unfeigned fashion, her universal smile was as refreshing as a couple of Mai Tai tiki cocktails sipped poolside. She went on to point to her right forearm while Andrea translated her message: “Matka was working on her tan as well.” It just goes to show you, the inner child in all of us is willing to leave our cares and winter coats behind to head for a paradise of luminous sand, sparkling blue water that stays summer warm, and golden rays of sunshine.

The slender European stood sentinel at the water’s edge one foot barely touching the base of a black lava boulder, the other steadying himself against the shifting sand. Wave after wave broke ashore turning soothing colors of turquoise, aqua and finally sea foam green. His short red swimming trunks were marked with a tiny striped flag, no doubt proclaiming pride of his native homeland. As he raised his hand to shield his timeworn eyes from the reflecting sun, he squinted at the horizon. Following his gaze, I saw a tiny silver-haired pinhead bobbing up and down on each incoming wave. This Old Man of the Sea who radiated wisdom and experience stood there protectively keeping watch on his cherished partner, the love of his life, as she slowly and methodically swam toward him.

A speckled rooster crowed as he strutted around the beach chairs with head held high acting as though he were “King of the Island” and we were all expected to clap our hands in applause at being in the mere presence of him. Slowly and methodically a hunchback wiry old man with a weather-beaten brow sauntered toward the cedar shelter, his gait slow, wearing nautical swim trunks. A full-face snorkeling mask was dangling loosely around his neck. Each step reminded him of how he had taken his vitality and physical strength for granted only a few years ago. The crashing waves of high tide seemed more of a challenge this morning than he initially thought.

Cooling sea breezes, palm trees swaying, a sandy shoreline under a cerulean blue sky. A bikini-clad toddler with a pixie cut races across the beach in hot pursuit of a red-combed rooster while Nana follows close behind recording the adventure on her cell phone.