The warm sun beating upon the side of my face, the waves crashing onto the shore creating a calm, soothing sound that soothes me to sleep, and the grains of sand sticking in between my toes is what I love. As I sit on the toasty, uneven sand, I always devour an ice, cold, vanilla, soft serve ice cream cone that leaves sticky drops of melted ice cream all over my hands. The beautiful sunset reflects off the ocean, gleaming into my eyes, making me feel warm inside. I love feeling free as the chilling wind blows through my long, brown, curly hair, while swiftly pushing down on the pedals of my bike, riding along the beaming sand. My home is where God’s nature is and has positively shaped who I am.

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved being outdoors and enjoying God’s nature more than man-made structures, buildings, and fictional places. The beach is a scene where I can let my body and mind relax, leaving all my worries and duties behind. It is a way for me to isolate myself from the hectic world. When I visit the beach, God shines through the beautiful scenery. The warm sun reflects off the calming, deep blue ocean, which looks as if the water flows for miles up ahead, never ending. It reminds me of how God has blessed me with an eternal life, which is everlasting. The sun, peaking through the openings of the clouds, symbolizes how God is always looking down on me and taking care of me; I feel as though I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Most of my extended family lives in one of the most beautiful places in the world, which is why half of my childhood was spent at the beach. Many of my greatest memories come from the beach, such as me getting buried in the sand, playing with the dirty sand buckets and shovels, and getting wet sand stuck underneath my finger nails from digging in the sand to find sand crabs. As I grew older, I learned how to boogie board and ride the waves up to the shore. Whenever I catch a wave, I feel as if heavy weights are lifted off my shoulders as if God is holding onto me as I gently glide down the wave. Whenever I go for a walk along the shore, my feet sink deep into the sand leaving wet grains of sand stuck in between my toes. In the evening, when the sun sets, I always find myself in a daze due to the beautiful scenery. While riding my bike along the boardwalk, the warm wind blows against my cheeks and across the tip of my nose, allowing me to smell the salty ocean scent. The pier that feels as if it is on top of the world and is a mile long, allows me to look out into the open and think about what I might do and who I might become in the future. For, it reminds me that the past lies behind me, so I can look forward to the future.

In God’s nature, I can be myself and release all the thoughts that have cluttered my head for days. Still today, the beach shapes my identity in the sense that it reminds me of how thankful I need to be with the life God has blessed me with and how He is in control. The physical characteristics of the beach, such as the sand and ocean, do not and have not changed since I was a little kid; it remains remote. The beach brings me pleasure due to the old memories I have and the current times I enjoy there. The beach or as I call it, “God’s nature” is constant in creating a peaceful and stress-free environment. The beach is a place where I can put my fast paced life on hold, reflect on where I have been, just like the sun reflects off the ocean, and look forward to the future God has planned for me.