I See the World

Well, by now it has become quite obviously that I was not meant to be a blogger :) I just don't have the dedication for it; and I must confess that I find a pen and notebook more natural and comforting. So maybe this will become my "every now and then blog" for you, my lone reader...
I was talking to an individual this morning. He was telling me how he feels that there is no God. And he went on to talk about how "Life isn't worth living if you don't have the health or means to enjoy it fully". I have NEVER disagreed more!

There are a great many destinations on my list of places I want to visit one day. I want to go Austria; to see with my own eyes the sights recorded in my favorite movie "The Sound of Music", and then to travel to Switzerland while I am so close. I dream of a trip to Italy...of seeing the Vatican City, Assisi, Florence, and more. I want to explore the history rich land of Poland. I want to spend days in Ireland and Scottland, Australia, Tahiti, Egypt, the Holy Land, Alaska, and Hawaii. So many places I want to see. Odds are that I will never make it to most (if any) of those locations. But I can dream.

And for all that I haven't seen, I HAVE seen a great many beautiful sites. I have witnessed the garndeur of the mountains, and hiked across their terrain. I have seen and stepped foot in lakes and oceans all across the US. I have wtinessed the sun rise and set from a beach chair in the sand. I have hiked through forests and explored caves. Seen amazing animals in zoos, and in the wild. I have been blessed to witness the blooming of flowers and the beautifully colored death of leaves. I have visited the ruins of Aztec cities of old, and expereinced the lights and sounds of big cities like New York, Reno,  and Las Vegas. I have journeyed to places like the Bahamas and Jamaica; where I touched Dolphins, swam in alligator infested waters, and jumped from a high cliff into a pristine natural spring of water (that when follwed to the end, lead to the ocean).

But life is more than sights. In 26 years, I have shared meals with the wealthiest and with the poorest of poor. I have served, and I have been served. I have known what it feels like to filled with joy, and to mourn with great sorrow. I have held brand new babies in my arms, and I have stood at the side of someone I loved as they took their last breath. I have rejoiced in health, and suffered in pain; and held the hand of others as they did the same. I have gained and lost, been first and last, taken wrong turns and the right ones. I have loved deeply, and known what is to be loved deeply.

In all of these things, I have lived...I have seen the world. More importantly, I have seen God. I know He's there, how can He not be? His grace sustains me. His love gives me hope. And He shows himself to us every single day in nature, in experiences, and in each other. I absolutely look forward to eternity with Him. But I am thankful for each day He gives me here. Because each day is a chance to see and experience more...and chance to know Him better through the world around me. I see God because I see the world...