Sandcastles and Life

Hot sun, salty air, rhythmic waves: A little boy is on his knees scooping up sand and packing it into his plastic pail. Then he upends the bucket and carefully lifts it. To the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is formed. All afternoon he will work spooning out the moat, packing the walls, creating bridges out of Popsicle sticks, setting up bottle tops as sentries.

 

Big city, busy streets, rumbling traffic: The executive is in his office, shuffling files on his desk, delegating assignments, reviewing data, juggling numbers. An IPhone seems to be permanently affixed to him. He is making his own castle: stock options are the walls, capital gains the bridges, annuities the sentries.

Two builders of two castles. They have much in common: They shape granules into grandeurs, they make something in the midst of nothing, they are determined and focused.  And for both the tide will rise and the end will come.

The difference is that the boy sees the end coming and welcomes it. At the end of the afternoon, the little boy will jump to his feet and clap as the waves break against his castle. There is no sorrow, no fear, not regret. At the end of the day, the little boy smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father’s hand, and goes home.

But the grown up is not so wise. As the waves of time break upon his castle, he is terrified. He tries to block the waves, but the breakers cannot be contained. His castle, too, will be washed away.

St. Francis de Sales teaches us, “When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us to pray, "Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you."

As we think about on the Sandcastles we build, let us remember to build them for the Lord, then God will guide our actions for The Kingdom.

May God Be Praised!