I haven’t been writing for awhile because I finally took a vacation. I haven’t had one for about 20 years or so. I decided I’d better go while I can. I went with a dear girlfriend.
Now, I want to tell you a funny story. I wanted to leave real early, but my friend was used to flying and she decided to leave at a later time. (I was nervous about that), but went along with it. We got to our airport and I went to go over to the garage nearby to park, but they were full. That means I have to try and find a parking place. That is so scary to me. I get anxious at big airports. I drove around and around trying to find where I was suppose to go. My friend was calling me on my cell phone and I was running out of time, so I just didn’t pick up her call. I looked at my watch. I was running out of time. I found a place to park and tried to get to the back of the van to get my stuff. The garage was dark and it wasn’t my van that I was driving, so I wasn’t familiar with it enough. And, I couldn’t get to the back of the van where my stuff was soon enough. I then proceeded to the back of the van and I looked at the keys I had, but decided I couldn’t get in there either, at least not quick enough. The clock was running. I then made a decision to forget about my bags and just run. That’s what I did. I ran and ran and ran. We just made it. Sometimes you have to make a rash decision and just go for it. I wanted the vacation. I let my bags in the van, and I was alright. I just purchased a few clothes when I got there. Whew. . . .
On our vacation, I didn’t have my laptop and I just got a new phone that’s got a 145 or so page handbook, so I didn’t have time to study it before my vacation, that’s why I couldn’t write any articles. At the library where we stayed they only wanted you to be there for 45 minutes a day and that’s it. But, on the way back from our vacation on the plane I was blessed because I sat by a young man who was an airline pilot and he had the same type of phone that I did and so he showed me some of the important details and he even showed me how to take one of his pictures that he had on his phone of the ocean and he sent it to my phone just like that by just pressing a button on the phone. It was so simple. Technology today is really something, so I learned a little bit more about my phone and how to go online with it. The pilot also taught my friend and I a little bit about flying in a plane. He was pretty interesting. It’s not so scary anymore to fly on a plane after talking with him. I’m ready for my next vacation.
On our vacation we headed towards the ocean. We went to Fort Myers and Sanibel Island in Florida. For about 3 evenings we just sat by the ocean and watched the beautiful sunset. I have to tell you something though about the ocean. I quietly sat by the ocean and what I heard was awesome. You know how you hear the ocean make a noise as the waves come in, well, what I heard was all these different noises as the ocean was coming in. I kept thinking I’d hear just one noise from the ocean, but this ocean sounded so big and vast with a lot of different noises as the waves would come in. It was like I was hearing the whole ocean’s waves coming in and it sounded like thousands of different noises at one time. I think the Lord was telling me that this ocean was so big and immense that I couldn’t even fatham it. Let me ask you a simple question: “How can anyone think that there is no God when sitting in front of an ocean and hearing the waves coming in?” Gee, I wonder who created this big vast ocean? Man or God? Yes, I do believe there is a God and I know he’s alive and well.
Just take some time and look around you at nature and all that he’s created. Go out to the woods for a walk if you can and listen to all the different noises in the woods. The breeze of the wind as it’s moving through the trees above you. Next, listen to a little bird in the trees singing it’s song to you. You hear different birds making different noises. Walk by a bee hive and hear all the hundreds of bees while they are making honey. Feel the sunshine and breeze as it fans your face as you are walking along. Find yourself walking by a garden and see the beautiful flowers, and stoop down to enjoy the different fragrances of each rose. Next, listen to the rain drops falling down and one-by-one hitting the grass as you walk along and then listen to the thunder and then look up to see the lightening hit the sky bursting into different types of pure white bursts of lightening. Lastly, gaze upon the beautiful sky and see a big rainbow stretching from side-to-side. This is God’s country.
I want to end this article with something that happened to me while I was at the Shrine. I was sitting on a bench at the Shrine and it was a beautiful day. While I was sitting there a blue Jay bird came down from the tree to the left side of me and this bird just sat there for awhile. I felt like I was in heaven. It’s like a piece of heaven came down to sit by me for awhile. It wasn’t afraid of me and I wasn’t afraid of the bird either. I felt such a peace just sitting there. I couldn’t believe the bird just sat there for quite a long time. Another one of Jesus’ priceless treasures.
May you find your own piece of heaven right where you are. God Bless You.
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Author Billie Jean Kotulski
Disclosure: Billie Kotulski is not a minister. She’s just speaking from her heart.