“You can't stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.”

I absolutely love the ocean. I’ve had a fascination with it ever since I was a child. My parents and I would often go to the beach and I would sit there on the sand, watching the ocean waves roll over one another. It was mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.

But the ocean can be frightening. Its great depth and unknown creatures can terrify even the bravest of souls and man’s helplessness is exposed when atop of the waters. Man cannot control when the tides rise. Man cannot control which waves will be high and which wave will be low, and man cannot control the moon that pushes and pulls the ocean swells.

The only thing that a man can do is ride the waves. He can watch and wait, and observe. He can judge which wave he will be able to overcome and he can also judge which wave is too much for him. Man must have the courage to be able to take on the waves, and he must be able to face it head on. When he falls, he must have the strength in order to stand back up and take another one on, or paddle back to shore.

With each wave he takes on, man will become smarter, wiser, and braver. With every wave he encounters, he develops confidence and the techniques he needs to overcome his obstacles. He will build resilience, and he will be proud of himself for taking on these waves. He will come back the next day, and the next, and even the following day after that. And like this, he will continue to grow until he becomes the person who he was meant to be.

With love,

Grace