How sweet are the words Labor Day for those of us who live in Cape May County full time. They are like a soft melody floating in the warm air. We are privileged to live in one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast, and September and October are the best months of our year as far as I’m concerned.

Those luscious days of casual beach walks with maybe a stop at the Dairy Queen before heading home. Yes, I do look forward to this time of year, especially now that I am retired and can partake of those daytime excursions.

There is something wonderful to be said about retirement in our county. My husband and I worked hard our entire lives for these special moments of blessed enjoyment that include that much more relaxing pace that descends after Labor Day. Happily, there remain some activities on the boardwalk for the preschoolers and their parents, who now are on vacation.

The visitors this time of year are generally mellow and seldom scurry unless it is to chase a little one heading toward the water’s edge. The entire feel of the island falls into a lovely rhythm, with school commanding the attention of the teachers and students during a large portion of the day. The store owners may miss their young employees, but they too are able to relax and breathe a little easier and perhaps sleep a little later, too.

I enjoy the lighter pace that occurs after Labor Day. I love our tourists because they provide what we need to keep this area thriving and a great place to live, but they too have children in school. During these days my front porch becomes a soothing retreat, enticing me to enjoy reading my daily devotions in my rocking chair with my steaming cup of coffee at the ready next to my Bible. This is the “good life” we aimed and waited for during our working years, and it has proved well worth the wait.

My husband Neil and I both love our retirement volunteer jobs, and we also cherish the days we can move freely about the island on our bikes, walk in the warm waves, and sit on the beach at sunset. We are blessed beyond measure. God has gifted us jobs we love and people we love to be with, and that is worth every hour we spent working as hard as we could to help make this good life possible.

Of course, that is the title of this column – The Good God Life. What a pleasure it is to live in such a pleasant place, enjoying both God and the good life He has prepared for us here. With me from a small town outside of Pittsburgh and Neil from Seattle there was little chance either of us would even know about Ocean City, and yet here we are. Only God knew where we would end up as we visited Ocean City quite by accident while on vacation.

It was love at first sight. We drove in through a thunderstorm tossing lightning bolts in the distance as we watched through the windshield. Warm air and lightning would not welcome many people, but I missed that from my hometown and Neil missed it from the farm country in Washington where he spent his summers working for his uncles. Who knew the smell of lightning and warm rain were promises of a grand future?

Living in Washington state and traveling long work commutes had been our lifestyle for years, but this vacation to Ocean City brought on an urge to move across the country. We prayed for several years, with Neil applying within his company for a transfer. God answered our prayers more abundantly than we could imagine. Once here I found work immediately, and we started our search for our special O.C. home.

I believe God has given all of us a desire to be productive, and I enjoyed putting in a full day of work with my very best efforts to honor Him – it was always my privilege to do so. I have found that often a great work ethic is a sign of one who performs their job as though working for the Lord.

At the end of those employment years, we now sit in our rockers – or riding our bikes – enjoying the gifts from our God and fruits of those labors He put in our paths to accomplish this desired goal. What a delightful and good God we serve.

As we mosey about fun spots in the county enjoying our good life, Neil and I look forward to seeing you, and because we now have time to chat, please stop and say hello.

Editor’s note: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.