It was a cool, late winter’s day. The man paused as he caught his breath. Propping against his shovel, he looked around at what he was building. The muddy water surrounding his waders revealed his progress.
Brick by brick he constructed it. Each block represented an aspect of his life: Friends. Family. Health. Career. He stacked them up on each other one by one. He paused again. A storm would come — He knew that. This was his seawall. This was what would protect all that was dear to him. He knew that, too.
Another concrete block and then cement. But instead of just blocks, he used steel, rebar as they called it. He ran it in between the holes in the block. The steel and the concrete he poured around it was his faith. He stopped for a moment, rested and smiled. When he was a younger man, he had built a seawall without the rebar. Youth’s folly, he had called it. It had crumbled the first time it had been tested.
He listened as the sound of the water lapped gently against the shoreline. A hawk glided gently overhead. It was so peaceful. So calm. But he knew what was coming. He knew a storm was on the way.
Another row of blocks. More concrete. More steel.
Individually all these parts of his life would have failed when assaulted. But together, he had a strong line of protection. His seawall would take some serious punishment. He knew it was strong.
He put the shovel down on the shore and admired his work. This wasn’t an overnight job. Building something like this took time. A lifetime, he thought. And it took effort. He thought of the Three Little Pigs. No house of straw for him. The thought of a straw seawall made him laugh. “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.” The wolf was coming. He’d be ready for him.
He put the cold glass of unsweet tea to his lips and felt the refreshing drink cool his dry throat like cold water on a hot beach. Now he could build his life with confidence. And build it, he did.
A few years later, that storm did come. The once peaceful body of water rose and battered the seawall. Wave after wave after wave blasted the blocks. The pounding took its toll on each one of them. His family felt the pain. His health and career did, too. The howling wind and the force of the water chipped away at them all. Everything he stood for was at risk. The storm was unrelenting. A weaker wall would have collapsed.
But his held strong. The seawall took the punishment the storm threw at it. And by dawn’s early light, it was still there. The rebar and the concrete held the wall intact. His faith kept everything together. The storm relented, the sky began to clear and the water receded.
He inspected the damage. A few blocks were chipped and had to be replaced. He got new career. He repaired his family. He strengthened his health. He thanked his friends.
Because he knew another storm would come. And when it did, his seawall would be ready.
