We made the long drive, parked our car, then trekked about a mile to the beach carrying all our gear. It was a gorgeous day, and because it was still early very few people were there. Perfect for taking pictures. I snapped a few warm up shots.
Then my camera battery died.
I couldn't believe it! I had remembered everything except charging my battery the night before. I put the camera back in the bag and made myself comfortable on the beach chair. The kids ran off to play. With glee, they began filling buckets with water and plotting the building of a castle.
I gulped in a breath of salty sea air and gazed at the sand stretching out as far as I could see. It seems I heard a gentle whisper. See those grains of sand? I think of you more often than you can count them. I felt encouraged.
I noticed the kids bent over the tide pools. A kind tide pool docent had befriended them and together they observed limpets, hermit crabs, sand crabs and various fishes. I couldn't help it; the homeschool mom in me thought: science class. An unexpected blessing.
I tuned my ears to the roar of the ocean waves pounding on the rocks. I wonder what God's voice is like? One thing is for sure, it is not a wimpy voice. He spoke and created all of this!
Suddenly, Daniel came running in a panic hollering, "I lost my slipper!" I went to investigate. A strong wave had momentarily caused him to lose balance and whisk his slipper away. I searched the torrents and spotted the slipper diving up and down beyond the tide pools. It was too far out, and the tide was too strong to risk retrieving it.
In that instant, God granted a measure of faith. I prayed out loud, "Lord, please bring that slipper back to us."
We stood there waiting as the schizophrenic waves tossed the slipper every which way until it amazingly floated right up to our feet. Daniel burst into a huge grin, and we whooped, "Thank You, Lord!" Nothing is too hard for Him.
Swift movement caused us to look upward and behold a flock of pelicans flying in formation overhead. Another display of God's grandeur.
The sun was quickly moving into its noon position and more people had arrived. It was our cue to leave. We bid goodbye to the beach wistfully, already making plans for our next visit. I slung my camera bag over my shoulder, and realized that while the camera batteries were depleted, my soul had been recharged and filled to overflowing.
I came home and uploaded the few shots I had taken. What a joy it was to find that all was not lost. 
I was hoping to bring home a memory card full of shots of the kids.
Instead, I brought home a memory of the sea and a fresh vision of God.
"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand." Psalm 139:17-18a
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