M - Things to do in the Spring/Summer

New to Charleston A to Z?  Read this first. 

Rachel and I at Morris Island Lighthouse.

Morris Island Lighthouse - The Morris Island Lighthouse stands about 300 yards off shore on the northeast end of Folly Island.  First illuminated on October 1, 1876 and decommissioned in 1962, the "new" Morris Island Lighthouse is a true piece of Charleston living history.  Save The Light Inc. is a grassroots effort comprised of citizens dedicated to preserving this lighthouse.  You can learn more about the Morris Island Lighthouse and preservation efforts at their website http://www.savethelight.org/.


As natives of the northeastern coast (Long Island, Connecticut, Maine) my wife and I are lovers of lighthouses; naturally.  We have pictures of Assateague, Hatteras, and Ocracoke lighthouses hanging over our fireplace taken during a camping trip in the outer banks.  Our first encounter with the Morris Island Lighthouse came during our honeymoon.  We were staying on Hilton Head Island, so we were close enough to Savannah and Charleston to take a couple of day trips.  At the time we had no idea what the future would hold except that when our honeymoon was over we would be married and living in Pittsburgh.  We liked the married part, but both of us were ready to get out of Pittsburgh.  


I had just been relieved of a five year associate pastor position and settled for minimum wage at a grocery store after five months of fruitless job searching.  Rachel was doing research on hot flashes in post menopausal women at the University of Pittsburgh, but she was ready to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.  By this time it was pretty late in the application season, and she hadn't heard from any of the schools where she interviewed, so our hopes for medical school were fading.  Then Rachel's phone rang.  

On the way to the lighthouse.

It couldn't have come anymore out of the blue.  We were walking through downtown Charleston taking pictures and enjoying our newlywed bliss when Rachel's boss called.  She was monitoring Rachel's work email while she was away.  Rachel let the call go to voice mail then listened to the cryptic message, "I think you might want to check your email, it looks like you have an important message."  We were assuming that it had something to do with getting into medical school, but it could just as easily have been a wait list or decline notification.  The suspense was killing us, but we didn't have ready access to email, it was 2007 after all.  So Rachel called her sister Bethany and directed her through the process of logging into her work email.  It was an acceptance letter from New York Medical College!


With just a couple of phone calls we went from an uncertain course for the future to a very certain course that would lead us through the first eight years of our marriage.  This was the perfect time for a lighthouse; a symbol of guidance through an uncertain path.  So we headed to Folly Island, parked at the end of East Ashley Avenue and entered the beach through the narrow access path where the avenue ends.  Through the path and to the right was the more developed beach, but to the left the beach was empty; perfect for romantic walks, shell collecting, photography and just lounging around.  A few minutes into our walk Morris Island Lighthouse popped into the landscape.  There are several great angles to explore for pictures.  On this sunny June day we chose to sit on a pile of stones gently brushed by the surf.  A nice couple offered to take a picture for us, so we didn't have to take another one of those arm length couples' photos that we had gotten so good at.


The magic of our honeymoon excursion to Charleston has always stuck with me, so when it came time for Rachel to make her rank list for residency four years later I was happy to see that the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston had a program in her specialty to apply to.  There are only two spots available in the Med/Peds program each year at MUSC, so her chances of getting in were much lower than at larger institutions, but in the end she ranked it first and got her first choice.  So it seems we've come full circle, finding out about medical school in Charleston and getting into residency in Charleston.  We have visited Morris Island Lighthouse several times since moving to Mount Pleasant this past May.  Every time I am reminded that in the midst of uncertainty God leads those who look to Him for direction.  
Actually, every lighthouse has taken on that meaning since our Charleston experience.


Granted, my connection to Morris Island Lighthouse is pretty deep, so it may not be as special to anyone else.  Let us know your favorite part about visiting Morris Island Lighthouse, or give us your choices for best "M" activities to do during the Charleston Spring/Summer months.