Two women and I trekked out to the Gold Coast for two nights...Thursday evening through Saturday morning of Holy Week. One woman was one of my first friends in HK, the other woman was a new friend...but we all shared a desire for some alone time, specifically to be with God. Of course there was lots of talking. What was supposed to be a 90 minute trip to the hotel turned out to be a five hour evening as we rendevoued, ate dinner, shopped for some breakfast, and had dessert/coffee. Yes, we took our time, talking the whole way there. And when we finally arrived shortly after 10pm, the talking didn't stop...but we soaked in the opportunity, got comfortable in our room, shared what our plans were for the following day, and turned lights out soon after midnight.
What we found the next morning was a delight for my senses. I am a beach girl...always have been. And since moving to HK, I've only been to one beach. SO...when we opened the curtains to find water and sand, I was thrilled. None of us had been there before, so we weren't really sure what we were going to find. But it was exactly what I needed...a two minute stroll down to the sand. We had all intentionally woken up on the early side...ready to see what the day had in store for us. I immediately walked down to find the beach almost empty. There were a few early swimmers, a couple eager runners, and a few kids playing volleyball, but otherwise I could just focus on what God had placed in front of me. Now, I sat on a bench under a tent in the sand for about two hours as the beach had gotten increasingly more popular. The airport is on the other side of the inlet, so I noticed that for the first two hours, the planes were departing HK just in front of me. Just as I was about to leave, the planes started coming in to HK. At that moment, these planes gave me a different sense of comfort. First, these were great big planes filled with hundreds of people. And yet, they looked so tiny in the sky. This reminded me how little we are compared to such a big God. He holds these huge planes in the palm of His hand, and cares/knows about every single person on these planes. The second comfort these planes gave me was that the next time I am on one, we will be going "home."And as much as I am enjoying Hong Kong, there is great comfort in familiarity.
By the time I walked back up to the room, I had only been bitten by no-see-ems about three times, but the beach was crowded. After all, it was Good Friday and a public holiday, so I wasn't surprised. For the rest of the day, I simply enjoyed the quiet and the space I had been given. It gave me time to pray, to think, to reflect, to read and to listen. Whether I was inside or outside, I made every moment count...realizing in the midst of it all that I cannot wait so long to do this again!!!
My friends and I reconvened at 6pm, ready to go out to dinner. We all had thoroughly enjoyed our time, and each of us shared some things we thought about or what we learned. Of course, we talked most of the evening into the night until we were too tired to talk anymore. And then the next morning we had a leisurely time getting ourselves ready to face our individual realities again. I know that it was a sacrifice for my family to go without me. And I am grateful that they love me so much to support me in this time. But I also know that I am a better wife and mother when I can find these margins in my life...time to reflect, reset, renew, refresh. For years, my husband and I would plan out our "days away,"being sure to take turns a couple times a year for this kind of intentional solitude. And then all of a sudden, it stopped being a priority...things got in the way. I am so glad that we were reminded how crucial it is to have this time...time set apart to just be. It is such a gift:)
PS My husband has his day away in May!
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