Why don't I do this more often?

Saturday was a beach day.  Every time I put in the effort to spend a few unplugged (you should be proud of me - I didn't check my email AT ALL) hours reminding myself that I live in the tropics, I think, "Why don't I do this more often?"

Kelsey, a new friend who's on staff at a local international school and will be confirmed at my church in June, and I checked out a beach that was new to both of us (not hard in my case): Playa Ensenada. It was an easy two hour drive and started off quiet but slowly filled up with Dominicans as opposed to tourists as they day wore on. It never felt crowded, though, because you could go a football field's length out into the shallow, turquoise water and still touch the bottom. I could have done with a little less loud music, but I suppose that's what you get at the start of a week when many people are off work and don't have school. I was too zoned in on finishing an ebook I'd already renewed multiple times to care much.

As we observe Holy Week, I've been needing a good beach picture to go with the following stanza of one of the Lenten hymns in the songbook we use at church. It jumps out at me every time as especially appropriate for an island: Si fueren más los pecadores / que arenas hay en playas mil, / ya padeció Jesús por todos; / a todos llama a su redil. (If there were more sinners / than sands on a thousand beaches / Jesus already suffered for them all / He calls them all into His fold.)

Check out my Facebook page for a video from yesterday's Palm Sunday processional. I'm heading to the capital in an hour and a half or so to support Ozama's Holy Week themed mini-VBS (phase II of what a short-term team from FL kicked off a few weeks ago), but will be back for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course Easter Sunday. 

Until next time, blessings!