Monday-Wed.-Friday morning's at 7:15 a.m.. our bus “Van-Go” takes l2-15 of us to the seashore where I run, walk, and jog in and out as the roaring waves come in. I write Carol's name sometimes n the sand..Nearly always i cell-phone one of my 3 sons...always a half hour of walking exercise (only 2 miles from our 'Sand -Colored Palace....

Deep memories are stirred for me, as I remember jumping waves for the first time nearly 80 years ago at the L.A beaches.

Here at La Jolla, I appreciate the ceaseless surf, seagulls, pigeons, glorious sunsets and the new style of life of Southern California. I recently wrote for our “Breezes”; Wesley-Palms monthly Booklet, about Morrie Schwartz’s life."Tuesdays with Morrie" & his diary are revealing.. He taught at Brandeis University for 35 years and died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Morrie says that a meaningful life depends on three things: devote yourself to loving others, give to other people and do the things that come from the heart..

Here for me ,my ministry is to love & care for all brothers & sisters who are in the "Evening of Life"...It's always challenging, to reflect & seek to act as Jesus would in unique situations.Letting His life within me touch others is not easy... Morrie,has helped me in his closing life experience; with an allegory his teacher taught him as a young boy:

“There’s this little wave, a"he" wave bobbing up and down in the ocean off the shore, having a great time. All of a sudden he realizes that he is going to crash into the shore. In this big wide ocean, he’s now moving toward the shore, and he’ll be

annihilated. “My God what’s going to happen to me?” he says a sour and despairing look on his face. Along comes a "female" wave bobbing up and down, having a great time. The "female" wave says to the "male" wave,

“Why are you so depressed?” The male wave says, “You don’t understand. Your going to crash on that shore, and you’ll be nothing.” She answers, “You don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.”

Morrie ends the book by saying: “That’s what I believe too, I’m not a wave; I’m part of all humanity. I’m going to die, but I’m also going to live on. In some other form? Who knows? But I believe that I am part of a larger whole.”

To this I add my own personal word. As I stood at the wave’s edge, I noticed not only the foam sparkling, but the sediment left on the sand!. Each wave had left some accretions as it finished it’s journey. Every wave was different but made a contribution. The sand , debris and many other things were affected.

Here at 93 in the "evening" of my earthly life by visits,"E", "snail mail"..& Cell-phone communication..I am touching scores of people who in years gone by allowed the Christ in Carol & me ,to touch them in a variety of situations.

All kinds of Family,Church & Bible Class experiences:Births,Baptisms, Weddings,Death Celebrations etc are mentally or vocally repeated: Many were mundane yet memorable. Many involved Divine transactions: Life altering decisions that occurred in people in the 5 Parish's we served... As I throw away or mail many pictures of the 68 years back to friends!... WOW! Any relationship has the possibility of being everlasting... Christ-like actions are mysterious “accretions”. Divine transactions and decisions occur sometimes ,when often like Eli in the Old Testament, we hardly realize it. How grateful I am for the Grace and Love of God in these years of ministering through the Church of Jesus Christ.

I rejoice,too, in the stimulation of new ideas. that I think ,only come with Age. I know I have become a world Citizen, deeply grateful for the Gift of life and privileges of building relationships with my brothers and sisters in our “Laboratory’’; "Palace" & "Cocoon"here...

Every day is exciting..Classes & constant Elderhostel experiences. -

Caleb Shikles 8/3/05