{"id":2521,"date":"2021-07-09T06:50:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T10:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/?p=2521"},"modified":"2021-07-01T15:33:20","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T19:33:20","slug":"week-356-walk-the-boards-and-ride-the-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/?p=2521","title":{"rendered":"Week #356 \u2013 Walk the Boards and Ride the Waves!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Robert Church, Jr. 1974-2014
“Loved and Remembered Always.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Week #356 \u2013 Walk the Boards and Ride the Waves!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greetings Happyness Tribe!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m FINALLY back in Ocean Grove this week! \u00a0Holy Ground, God\u2019s Square Mile, and every bit of Heaven on Earth!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all I can think about is this post\u2026from\u00a0Week #43<\/a>. \u00a0So forgive the repeat\u2026because after a year of not getting back here, I can assure you I’m making up for lost time by \u201cwalking the boards and riding the waves!\u201d \u00a0(I know you understand!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just before Summer of 2015\u2026a new memorial planter quietly appeared on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove. \u00a0The planter\u2019s inscription\u00a0reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Church, Jr.  1974-2014
Walked these boards and rode the waves.
Loved and Remembered Always<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Rob disappeared from our boardwalk in 2014 \u2014 I still look (even today) for his 6-foot-something frame, his big wave, and his confident stride. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with every turn onto Ocean Avenue \u2014 I\u2019m reminded of his absence in this beautiful place. \u00a0A place we shared as a family since childhood \u2014 and continued to share into our adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A place we somehow,\u00a0even now<\/em>,\u00a0continue to share. \u00a0\u2665<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through all the years we visited Ocean Grove \u2014 as children, teens, adults, and friends \u2014 we never dreamed it would come to this. \u00a0Benches and planters and plaques were for old people, maybe even pets, but not for us. \u00a0We were young, vital, alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And THAT is the point of the plaques on those benches and planters.  Life is about what you do, where you do it, and who you do it with.  The planters and benches along the boardwalk are filled with legacies: \u201c\u2026who loved Ocean Grove\u2026\u201d, \u201c\u2026who helped us all to grow\u2026\u201d, \u201cwhose happiness was a day at the beach\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would yours say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: \u201cWALK THE BOARDS and RIDE THE WAVES!\u201d \u00a0<\/strong>If someone were to write a memorial plaque about you\u2026what would it say? \u00a0Where would they put it? \u00a0Spend time this week doing that thing as if it was your last. \u00a0Imagine how you might want to be remembered\u2026then make it a point to LIVE IT! \u00a0Do it with love\u2026do it with laughter\u2026and above all: do it with Happyness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t wait!  Live your legacy today! And enjoy every moment! (I know I am!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spread Happyness \u2014 share your thoughts in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7\/9\/21 by Grace Church
\u00a9 Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Week #356 \u2013 Walk the Boards and Ride the Waves! Greetings Happyness Tribe!!! I\u2019m FINALLY back in Ocean Grove this week! \u00a0Holy Ground, God\u2019s Square Mile, and every bit of Heaven on Earth!!! And all I can think about is this post\u2026from\u00a0Week #43. \u00a0So forgive the repeat\u2026because after a year of not getting back here, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2521"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2524,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521\/revisions\/2524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spreadhappyness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}