Not since I returned from Ireland four years ago have I felt so relaxed.  The sea has an almost magical quality that restores one’s soul.  I spent more time along the coast of Nova Scotia than ever in my adult life.  Long, hazy, warm days with my body cast down on the great granite rock outcrops that pepper the shore.  A man had time to think if a thought possessed him, but most of the time you were just awash in the unfolding and ever changing drama of nature.  One day stands out among them all ... an exhilarating day ... a day to be tucked away and relived when the occasion calls for it.

            It was steamy hot, broke all records that had been maintained for 130 years.  Once we parked the car the walk through the diminutive spruce grove took about 40 minutes and the air was scented with the wild roses that grew in abundance.  It was secluded, it was bright, it was heavenly.  The sky above was cloudless and blue.  A breeze of about 10 knots blew in from the southwest.  You could see clearly over to Sanboro Light.  The surf gently lapped the shore bubbling up in little tidal pools.  There were sandpipers, a plethora of gulls and partridge scurrying along looking for berries.  From afar you would watch the fishermen come in with their daily catch.  I kept my eyes peeled for whales and porpoise and seals but I saw none.  The Irish, God bless the Irish, have a legend about a sea folk known as Selkies.  Most of their lives are spent in the form of seals frolicking about in the ocean deeps.  There is some debate as to how often they come ashore but when they do they shuck their seal skins and dance naked in the craigs and nooks and crannies of the land.  For awhile, or for that day, I felt like a Selkie.  Completely free.  As the Selkies shed their skins I was shed of all the care and woes of the world.  I was there with a chum and not many words were exchanged that day.  There were no words for it - save beauty, tranquillity and peace.  I felt restored - human again - myself again.  And what a wonderful homecoming to have had.

            In many ways I feel the same way about returning home to Beaconsfield United Church.  Another place we can take off those outer protective skins and reveal our humanity.  Like the Selkies of lore, I invite you to join with me in the dance that is full of life and the Spirit.  Welcome Home.

                                                                                        In Christ,
 

                                                                                       Shaun E. Fryday