Wave Riding
/He sits by me on the sofa and plops his leg across my lap. “Mom, please rub my calf muscle.”
His body perpetually sore from perpetual workouts.
With all the strength my skinny fingers can muster, I rub out these sore muscles. I used to be able to close my hand around this same leg, now a tree trunk I can barely withstand the weight of.
Doing my best, I rub out these knots. My hands fatigue at a much faster rate than it provides relief to these anthropomorphic boulders I call my children. Oh how I love them. Yet…
This momma wonders how she makes a difference nowadays?
Growth in so many ways. The body growth pales in comparison to the person growth. How can I keep up with the momentum?
These expanding hearts and minds that ride the ‘waves of life’. Catching those waves and then wiping out. A strong wind blows and THIS is the vulnerability - will they ride the wave with strength and skill, or will it toss them about? Will they come up smiling and go again? Will it be enough to wash them ashore?
How do I mother wave riders? And, how can I ‘rub out’ the soreness that life delivers after enduring a wild ride?
This momma wonders how she makes a difference?
I’ve never surfed, but I LOVE the ocean. I think my alter ego is a surfer. Ha!
I took an online surfer name generator quiz. Very official. My result: “Piper Malibu” - NICE!!
So Piper (me) along with Fontaine Hendrix (hubby) parent: Bede Pheonix , Aspen Dane, and Archer Arrow.. This momma wonders how she makes a difference? Whoa!!
I imagine my body, steady and strong enough to out ride the forces of nature. To be patient and wait for the right wave. But then, this technical and physically demanding adventure that is possible only when possessing these essential character traits:
Determination - Getting pounded wave by wave can really test your motivation when you begin to surf. If you are not determined to keep trying, surfing can be a very frustrating experience.
Balance - Every wave is different and you must deal with the changing conditions every time. You need a strong sense of center.
Flexibility - Being flexible is essential for surfers. To get up on your feet every time takes quite some ability to bend and move to conform to the force.
Strength - Surfers need a lot of strength. You will be less prone to injury and have more stamina.
Endurance - To paddle constantly through whitewater, big waves and strong currents takes endurance. You have to be willing to push through pain and exhaustion if you want to keep riding waves all day. Determination and endurance go hand in hand and are key skills in becoming a great surfer.
*adapted from surfedukators.com
This tidal wave of masculinity can be almost enough to engulf me at times. I’m thrust underneath it and lose footing. Disoreinted. Somewhere there must be and underpinning that anchors this ship? And I swallow titanic amounts of this stuff. This machismo ocean that at times has the potency to send me into next week.
I look at the list of 5 above and wonder where those things are in me. On a given day I tap into perhaps a few of them and boldly ride on, and other days I’m face in the sand gasping for air. This momma, oh THIS momma wonders how she makes a difference nowadays????
Parched and coughing up this substance that grinds against my teeth - only welcome when it’s between my toes and I’m under an umbrella with a cool drink in hand. Yet, I feel a gentle breeze, and I hear a still small, faithful voice that whispers the truth to me:
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up” Galations 6:9 (Determination)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33 (Balance)
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. “ Ephesians 4:1-3 (Flexibility)
“I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me” Phillipians 4:13 (Strength)
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” James 1:12 (Endurance)
This voice. The one who commands the wind and the waves. Who rebukes by saying “Peace, Be Still!” Jesus as this sure and steadfast anchor of my soul, a hope that enters into the inner place, all my hope in Him.
The Ultimate Surfer whose very life lives in me and my wave riders - and this, oh THIS makes all the difference today, yesterday and always!
