It has always felt like a part of some great divine plan that we have ended up by the sea. Before we had any vague notion of in-cluding New Zealand as one of our "intentional wandering" spots, we spoke to one another of our dream of living by the sea. For Mary Ann, the sea is a healer. For me, the most perfect spot in the world would be at the place where mornings, great coffee, and the seaside come together. So, why not Wellington, New Zealand? This very morning, I headed out before breakfast for a walk by the sea. I wasn’t exactly alone, because Kiwi’s love their sea! In ten minutes, I was watching the sun burn off the morning haze sipping on a Mochaccino (extra hot, please), feeling the amazingly calm winter breeze, and listening to the gulls complain about their peculiar space needs and land rights. I had chatted a bit with the barista, saying that unlike Kiwi youth, I think the coffee habit has come lately to American teens. He immediately said: "That’s because they have crappy coffee!" How New Zealanders love their coffee! I chose a bench by the water and just paid close attention to wherever my senses wanted to beckon me. The rustling of the morning paper the elderly couple was reading while they sipped their own coffee on the next bench. The laughter on the other side and the fascinatingly varied sounds people make as they walk.

"Thump!" What was that? Something hit my bench from behind! I turned around to look right into the beautiful face of a two year old little girl who had been solely entrusted by her Dad with both pushing and guiding the pram (stroller) instead of being the passenger. I watched her a while as she weaved from side to side down the walk, using benches and trees as bumpers absolutely and blissfully unaware of the "rules of the road." (The child on the little scooter is not the same child, but is just one of those enjoying the walkway by the shore.)These are the times that fill my soul and make me know I am alive. These are the moments when I find my center. From these times, I can go to be and do with purposefulness and a sense of direction. I am less driven by the "shoulds" and "oughts" of those around me and more clear about who I am and what I am about. These are the moments out of which call emerges and the heart is healed.