Leisure time is a luxury for us today with busyness from work, school, and different kinds of responsibilities.  It’s easy for someone to feel guilty to even consider taking time off for leisure, especially if you believe working hard all the time is the norm.  To some, leisure is perceived as wasting time or idling in laziness—spending leisure time alone might even be the unthinkable.

On one Saturday morning, I was touched, encouraged, and inspired by what I saw when I was taking my solo leisure time at Spanish Banks.  It was a beautiful sunny day in July, the best day one could have to chill by the beach.  I got myself a cup of Mango smoothie.

Once I settled down, I saw a middle-aged father with two young children sitting opposite from me at the other side of the table.  Both children were holding a mango smoothie in their little hands. The boy was about five years old and the girl might be just over three years old.  When the father tried to sit the little girl on her own, she grabbed onto his arm insisting to stay sitting on his lap. The father wrapped his strong right arm around her and sat next to the boy. The boy sat on his own and seemed a bit competitive when he noticed something from his sister’s cup.  “Hey, look!  You are faster than me!”  But the little girl didn’t pay attention or care about what he said. Peacefully, she looked at her father’s face, then took a big deep sip from her drink. She paused, looked away into the sky, looked up to her father’s face again, then leaned comfortably into his arm before taking another sip of her drink.  Interestingly, she repeated the same motions each time she took another sip—she looked at her father lovely and then looked out to the sea.  It was a beautiful scene.  There was no conversation among the three, no close small talks between the father and the little girl.  I was amused by her expression and gestures from the way she enjoyed her smoothie and repeatedly looked back at her father while sitting on his lap. It seemed to me she was not only enjoying her drink, but most importantly, those precious moments she was spending in the presence of her loving father. What confidence she had with her father’s attention!  She was content and satisfied with that moment of relaxation in her father’s arms.

At that moment, I felt like my Heavenly Father was reminding me of His presence, that I too could be satisfied in His big strong loving arms. From that very moment, I felt at peace with myself. I was nourished, refreshed, and grateful as I left the beach and carried on with the rest of the day.