For starters we had planned a quiet afternoon Father's day/ Mommy's birthday party at La Jolla. Hmmm...we only forgot that there wouldn't be any shade left on Father's Day, 2008, in the same town that the US Open was in...We did find a lovely parking space after driving around for awhile. Joe and I enjoyed the ocean while our children enjoyed chasing the squirrels and pigeons. I had these visions of our calm children taking their naps on our special engagement blanket while we listened to the lapping of the waves.
To make a long story short, we decided to explore the cave. We found some crabs and enjoyed climbing on the rocks and picking up sea weed and squishing the sand between our toes. The tide began to come in so we decided to head back up, but first we wanted to look at the interesting formations in the cliffs on the south-east of us. After a few minutes we were ready to go up the steps because the tide was starting to really come in. We were nearly to the steps when I looked behind us and saw a HUGE wave coming in!!! Abbie was in front of me and she started running for the steps (which have a very high bottom step, maybe three feet from the sand floor) I lifted her up as quickly as I could and I had someone in my other arm and Tommies sandals and a hat in the hand that was helping Abbie. The wave hit us! I was completely soaked. I dropped a sandal and was so completely disoriented. I guess that Jonathan had gotten sucked under and then was able to come up. Joe hadn't seen where Abigail went. It was shocking.
Once we realized everyone was safe and with us, we realized that there was a sandal getting swept out to sea. Nobody cried when the wave hit us, but to watch that sandal in the water would make you think we were watching our pet dog drown. A diver was just coming in and he went to it's rescue, aided on by both cries of relief combined with continued cries of terror. When I was watching him I realized that my hair was dripping and I reached up and touched it and found it covered with sand. Also, the whole right side of my face was covered with sand. Tonight when I was nursing Elizabeth I had an itchy ear and found it was filled with sand!
What an adventure. It all happened so quickly. We were all a bit shaken by the suddenness. How thankful we are for God's protection. Jonathan was out on his own and how thankful we are that he had the swimming skills to not get sucked out. I am very surprised by how disoriented I was, I can't even tell you if I had Elizabeth or Thomas in my arms and Joe doesn't know who he had. We just felt this overwhelming blind panic to get everyone to safety.
I have thought about the Tsunami from 2006 and the cyclones which just hit in Myanmar, both the huge life tragedies that accompanied them. Life seems so predictable but to have an experience that helps you realize there are so many things that we can't predict or even expect and to know that there are so many people that don't have an assurance of Life. May our lives overflow with the powerful flow of God's truth so that those drowning may find salvation in the Lord Jesus.
counter
Map
