God Seems Closer at a House by the Beach

God Seems Closer at a House by the Beach.

That saying is sewn into a pillow on my Momma's couch, and she swears it's true. 

Often when we talk, she'll tell me how beautiful the sunrise was that morning. It seem to be one of her favorite times of day. 

Momma also has an added bonus to her sunrise, the view! My parents live on the end of a canal in the Panhandle of Florida. The area they live in is a beautiful combination of waterways and exotic marsh. Water surrounds the front their property and there is always neat wildlife to watch.  

Watching a sunrise is not a frequent occurrence in daily life. I try to squeeze out the last possible moment of sleep into each morning, so I miss most Sunrises. But on our past visit, I decided I would get up and enjoy some of what Momma seems so enamored with. I wasn't disappointed. 

 As the sun slowly crept up behind the marsh, small flecks of gold sliced through the dark. Night made room for rich blues and warm pinks, then those quickly gave way for a glorious golden ball to rise up and up. It was amazing how much the sky changed in just 15 minutes. Watching the darkness give way to light was a tiny taste of God's promise for the future.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:22-25

As pretty as these photos are, they pale in comparison to the real colors and beauty that I witnessed that morning. This world pales in comparison of how great heaven will be too. But every sunrise is a reminder of our hope in the Lord, His never ending compassion and his great  faithfulness!

 The sunsets are not bad either :)

Uncle Brian

Looking back through our trip to Florida, I can't help but see why Eden loves her Uncle Brian so much. Some how he has captured her heart and she LOVES him. It's a running joke at our house that when it's time to be quite we say, "shhh" and Eden says "Brian's sleeping." She thinks he's narcolepsy :) He's not, he just works nights. When we visit we have to tell Eden to "shhhh, be quite b/c Brian's sleeping." Now the two are link in her mind. :)

While visiting Yaya's and PawPaw, Brian asked Eden if she wanted to go on a boat ride. Without hesitation she said yes and followed him. I think he could have asked her to go anywhere and she would have said yes, just to spend time with him. She thought she was such a big girl in her life vest and riding along side of him. She still is talking about her boat ride weeks latter.

So to my the man fortunate enough to have married my baby sister, You are blessed. My daughter loves you very much. And soon enough your daughter will be looking forward to going anywhere with you, just to spend time with you. If these women think of you so highly, there must be something special about you. :) I am happy that you have become a part of our family. I look forward to watching you grow into fatherhood as you lead Abbey and Peyton. You are a good man, and I'm proud you're my brother.