Shells! by Susan L.

There is an abundance of sea shells which litter the beach. So many that you ve got to watch where you put your Canadian tender tootsies. I have a fascination with the tiny ones, perfect replicas of the big ones that usually are only found in the numerous shell shops dotting the island. Unless you are really lucky or first on the beach at the crack of dawn. I did find one fairly large cone shaped shell. Previous shellers had passed it by. It was attached to a clump of seaweed, or rather, the seaweed was attached to it. I made sure the creature inside was gone bedcause it is illegal to harvest live shells. The shine was dulled by a coating of green and it was host not only to seaweed but a variety of other members of the mollusk family. Also deceased. Clams and miniature tube worms which wrapped themselves in twisting spirals around the gentle curves of its host give the shell quite a character. There are a couple of pink barnacles which perch like misshappen warts near the tip. It gives me a great appreciation for age, warts, bumps and all. This shell symbolizes the role age can play in a community. Although, I think a community founded on the Rock might last a little longer. Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same. Ps 102:26