Gifts from the Sea – Bahamas Photos

Gifts from the Sea – Bahamas Beauty Soothes the Soul

“Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

In early December, I was very fortunate to be able to return to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Eleuthera is considered an “out” island, meaning it is a bit off the beaten track. In fact, Eleuthera’s motto is: “It’s not for everyone.”

If one is looking for all-inclusive resorts, high-end shopping, crowded beaches, multiple restaurants and/or nightlife, Eleuthera is not the destination of choice.

If, however, one has happened to have read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and fallen in love, as I did, with the author’s exquisite description of the simplicity of island life – and the quiet lessons that may be learned from spending time alone and not doing much at all but watching the waves and walking the beach to see what the sea has brought forth – then Eleuthera is a delightful setting for that to happen.

Here are a few photos from my recent trip to the Bahamas paired with some beautiful words of wisdom from Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s classic, Gift from the Sea:

“In my periods of retreat, perhaps I can learn something to carry back into my worldly life.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“I believe what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly. Purposeful giving is not as apt to deplete one’s resources.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“The most exhausting thing in life, I have discovered, is being insincere.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Only when one is connected to one’s own core is one connected to others.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few, and they are more precious if they are a few.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Not knowing how to feed the spirit, we try to muffle its demands with distractions. Instead of stilling the centre, we add more centrifugal activities to our lives, which tend to throw us off balance.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Quiet time alone, contemplation, prayer, music, a centering line of thought or reading, of study or work…it need not be an enormous project or a great work. But it should be something of one’s own. What matters is that one be for a time inwardly attentive.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Nothing feeds the centre so much as creative work.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

And on this note, perhaps it is no mistake that during my time in Eleuthera I was reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic; Creative Living Beyond Fear. But more on that in another blog 🙂

Related blogs by Maryanne:

Are You a Leaky Lena?

Sweet Solitude – Why Time Alone is So Important

Beaching Out in the Bahamas

What Does the Bahamas Beach in Tomorrowland Have to do with Our Future?

More Stunning Photos from the Bahamas

Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and the Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive Maryanne’s weekly blog, please sign up here.