My Beach Weekend With Beautiful Friends – Start The (Rainy) Parade

It Was One Shell Of A Good Time!

Hello Again To All----

Jerry asked if I would put my thoughts and observations from this weekend into a blog post. I was planning on it anyway, so of course, I agreed. Now, I do not plan to share this publicly; this is just for us. Please understand these are my musings and a collection of nuggets I witnessed. I am sure there were memorable moments I was unaware of, and everyone may not recognize all my references. I do hope most of you will.

When I looked at the weather forecast for the weekend I admit I was a little disappointed to see all the rain coming our way. I love the beach, the sand, the surf and the sun. I still believe a bad day at the beach beats most good days elsewhere, but you always want the sun to shine. I was encouraged, however when I walked into the house to discover the huge picture window and porch overlooking the ocean. I knew just time spent in either location would refresh and rejuvenate. Checking in day allows for a brief time to mentally size everyone up. There were long-standing friendships here, but also several people who had never met. There is always the chance of a personality clash or pecking contest. Thankfully, that did not occur at all with this crowd.

Throughout the entire weekend, the meals were some of my favorite activities. Everyone pitched in, even though there were those who worked on every meal. I personally thank you for time and effort. The food was delicious; all of it. And the time spent sharing it was priceless. The family dinner table is sadly a forgotten vestige of what brought people together. We re-discovered that this weekend. For the most part, we all ate together. Talked. Shared. Laughed. There were memories revisited of past beach trips and unplanned, impromptu moments that created memories of this one.

The first evening, sitting around the coffee table, we were asked to share one thing that no one else may have known. We learned significant information and incidental fun facts. We learned about John Denver and how Playboy effects babysitting. We discovered that some of us get by on a wing and a hair. The most important thing we learned, is that no matter where we all come from or what experiences have shaped us, we all share a common bond of friendship. There were no prima donnas or directors. I truly felt mutual respect for and from everyone, even with the differences that were represented. My friends, do you realize how rare that is to find?

The next day brought more rain and chilly weather. The faithful who run and walk braved the elements dodged the showers and did their thing. There was always a buddy system; and not always the same buddy. I was a member of a small delegation to check out the other beach house down the road. Yes, it was a magnificent home, but there is no way it had the character and warmth of ours. I also learned that we had a Shell Whisperer amongst us. It’s a gift, truly. Others tried to duplicate it, and came close, but she truly had the magic touch.

It was during this outing that Operation Ice Cream took place. I am quite sure Harris Teeter has never witnessed four adults so excited about buying ice cream. Every door to their ice cream case was opened at least three times. Boxes taken out, put back, re-arranged, counted. Every imaginable kind and flavor of ice cream was represented fairly and with great thought. It was also during this outing that I heard a line from a Jimmy Buffet song (guess whose car I was in) that I have never heard. I may not have the exact words right, but it went something like… “The clock on the wall has No AM / No PM.. Just Now!” That spoke to me of the beauty of living in the moment; which is what we all did for four days.

We returned to the house to find the freedom that comes from cross-dressing. How refreshing to witness the vulnerability and openness associated with that expression. And speaking of freedom and expression, what a relief it was to know that we can now all ship our pants, drawers and even our beds!

Later that evening many of us chose to play what some might consider to be a non-traditional game. The only thing I will say about that is… for a moment in time, we were all Jerry’s kids. And thank goodness for pineapples.

Saturday brought more rain, a royal wedding and also more time to bond. There were still pockets of time for outside activities and people would step away for awhile and return to chat again. I loved the moments we were taking the group photo. We were all together at one time and one place. There was laughter, community and even a full moon. The pictures represent the heart and soul of the weekend. A group of beautiful people with kindred hearts. My favorite expression of the weekend came sometime that evening (I believe) when the announcement of having “Friends Without Borders”. How awesome is that? To be so open and loving and accepting that everyone we go, we make friends. That should definitely be on our Life’s To Do List.

I’ll close by saying my most precious memories will be sitting around the table on the back porch. I spent a great deal of time there. Sometimes with just one or two others, and sometimes with many. It was around that table where my heart was filled. There were no limits, judgments or qualifications for topics. We discussed politics, relationships, dogs in the water. We were silly, serious, irreverent at times. We listened. We shared. We accepted new ideas or agreed with old ones. We formed new friendships and solidified existing ones. It occurred to me that while I originally thought the lack of sunshine might be a letdown; for me, it was a blessing. The rain created a cocoon where we grew closer. I walked away with memories, joy, love, support and a thankful heart for being included in such a warm and wonderful group. I hope everyone felt that same way. 

And always remember....

Hope With Abandon

Hope Out

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