driving away

It has been years since I last stepped on sandy beaches. The last time I enjoyed some sun and sand was when I was still a little fat girl. I didn’t have the chance to really enjoy some sand since we stayed in a balsa and I was busy ranting how much I hate salty and dirty water. I didn’t get to enjoy the water nor the summer sun.

Last Friday, Good Friday, when most people stayed at home or pray at the church or joined the procession, my family and I hit the beach. Honestly, I have grown up with the “tradition” of spending the Good Friday out somewhere, most of the time at places like resorts. So this time, we spent it in Laiya, San Juan. It was our first time to go there. About 40 kilometers from the city and after 4 km of literally rocky roads, we were welcomed by white sand beaches extending to about 15 km. Not only that, there were cottages very comparable to the ones seen in Bali, Indonesia. But great sites come with loads of tourists yearning for the beach after long days of work and stress. Like most of them, this was the only chance for our family to enjoy and have some quality time before the before-school madness comes.

We spent the day eating native foods, splashing in the swimming pool, building unsuccessful sand castles, enjoying the sun (with loads of sun screen of course), and collecting seashells by the shore. These were the things I didn’t think I would enjoy when we got there. So what if I my eyes hurt because of the sea water, or if I get my sun burnt, or if my feet were covered with sand, I don’t really care. I had so much fun I didn’t mind looking like a silly kid when she gets a lollipop. These are the simple joys which, seen from the eyes of a child, worth remembering forever.

I grew up not open to the tradition of staying at home during Good Friday’s, my family takes this chance to breathe out all the stress, all the tension. This is our day of tuning out from the world and focusing ourselves with each other. This was the first time I actually saw my father enjoy the sand and even the seashell searching. We don’t see things everyday, or at least I don’t. I consider Good Friday a very special day. I may not be able to focus myself on God or on my sins, but I guess I managed to focus myself on something as essential to God in my life, my own family.

Driving away, leaving it all behind... Mae (Summertime)