That dream came true. For a few years we lived in Naples, Florida. At that time my children were young, both under the age of eight. My memories of going to the beach with the kids are happy memories.

The kids and I also visited the library and found special guidebooks so that we could learn to identify and memorize the names of all the shells and other creatures that we found at the beach. When the kids and I went to the beach, I felt as if any troubles, distractions, arguments, and worries vanished. The beach was my special sanctuary…my soul-soothing place of refuge!

Our favorite time to go shelling was low tide. When the tide is low you have a much better opportunity to find sand dollars or rare seashells. One day at low tide, my son found a crucifix fishbone that I still have and treasure.

The ocean gives us many spiritual metaphors; for example, the sea catfish and the sand dollar have legends associated with them that point toward Christ. Tides are also intriguing symbolically. When the tide turns, it reverses direction—the energy is either contracting or expanding. The universe is contracting and expanding. When we breathe, we expand and contract. Our heartbeat is both an expansion and contraction.

All of life—the ocean included—is constantly expanding and contracting.

When is the turn of the tide? I can say with 100% certainty that the world changes every morning when we arise. It changes to some degree each and every day—good things, bad things, and things that make no difference happen.

Emperors, pharaohs, religious leaders, and kings and queens have ruled and told the people how to be and what to believe in. It still happens. However, those decision-makers have grown to include elected officials, corporate leaders, the new media, celebrities, and social media influencers. It used to be that you had to have the birthright or lineage to become an influencer, but now these leaders form the opinions of millions of people in a heartbeat.

The ability to share one’s opinions globally has launched us into a terrible place where most of what we read makes us angry. We seem to have lost touch with the ability to discuss our different opinions and viewpoints respectfully. I am ready for the tide to turn and to stop listening to those who wish to upset or create unnecessary fear. I am ready to regain my ability to experience heaven on earth, which I believe is best experienced when we regain our joy and appreciation for the beautiful gift of life given to us by God.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3 NIV

When my grandchildren ventured out into the field, I snapped these priceless photos of them. To me, their gentle facial expressions are visual evidence of children’s pure, divine, joyful nature!

I feel a bond with sunflowers.

I know these flowers offer more than beauty.

My first memories of sunflowers came from my childhood when I romped in my grandfather’s massive gardens, picking and eating berries with my cousin, Melissa. In one of his gardens, my grandfather also grew giant sunflowers. So beautiful and so much larger than me!

Later in life, I learned these flowers offer more than beauty. These flowers are teachers. All of creation can teach us something valuable if we are willing to explore symbolic insights.

At the graveyard next to the two-lane highway in rural Texas, a place designed for the living to remember what they have lost, instead of sorrow, I can marvel at what I have found. That field of sunflowers reminded me of my childhood, carelessly picking berries, and of the great insight that beautiful flower has the power to transmute toxins, especially when facing the light.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” —John 8:12 NIV