T and I have been busy this week. We took down and replaced decking which included rebuilding some stairs. Boy did I get reacquainted with some muscles I had forgotten about those couple of days! Our other task was pulling out and replacing laminate floor from a staff home. The floor underneath wasn’t level and the original laminate floor went under two sets of stairs and ended up being a different thickness than the new floor. The stairs had to be taken out and T is working on new ones as I type. I am very thankful for a husband who continues to have strength and wisdom to be able to do so many things. I have definitely had to lean in and listen for his guidance with the projects we have worked on recently. Outside of work we have been getting to know some of the staff before and after morning devotions as well as spending time with another SOWER couple who is close by serving at a Christian camp. We also had to take one more trip to the beach! I hadn’t checked the weather along the coast before we left and found out conditions were less than optimal to be walking or sitting on the beach when we arrived. Red flags flew warning beach visitors of dangerous swimming conditions, but surfers seemed to be loving the angry waves. Copper seemed to sense that something was different as he didn’t get the zoomies. Every other time we have gone to the beach in the last few months he has been so excited bounding in and out of the water. We all sat on the beach and took in the views for a while and then went on to a local state park to hike, take in some history and view the beach again this time from a little further away. Ice cream was on the agenda after we left the park and we ended up in a quaint area called Rosemary Beach. Neither T or I was ready to go home so it seemed like a natural progression of our day to take a gentle wander through the quiet, mainly shaded streets before heading back.
As we get ready to leave Florida in just over a week I find myself reflecting on our six months in the Sunshine State. I feel we have got to experience the real Florida, exploring many state parks and other places that aren’t necessarily on a tourists check list. We did get to travel to and walk several beaches during the months of November, December and February which I am so thankful for, but I also was surprised to find that there is peace and tranquility to be found along the waters edge of a swamp that might contain the odd alligator or two! We did a lot of bird watching of the domestic and wild kind, spent some time with farm animals, got a very close look at a number of manatee, visited a local cavern, watched a waterski show, experienced a Floridan rodeo, picked our own veggies, tried new recipes with those veggies and learned new games to play. Most importantly our time here has seen us reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. We have been a part of and learned more about some of the wonderful ministries that are in Florida and really appreciate the hearts of those that are serving at each location. I personally come away feeling encouraged and pray that in some way I have been encouraging to those God has had us meet. I try not to take for granted that nothing ever happens by chance and its all part of Gods plan; the ministry, the location and the people.
I am going to end with a song that’s been out for a while, but its new to T and I. It has been played a couple of times during worship time at the academy since we have been here and we both really like it. T would call this a seven eleven song because it does repeat itself a few times lol, but there are some good reminders tucked within the lyrics. Hope you like it. Love to each of you- Lou
