souldare

God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

Hebrews 13:5b-6 The Message

Not your typical beach picture, but it is where the manatees go for the winter. Manatees like warm water, so they migrate up the fresh water rivers away from the sea and congregate by the power plant, where the water temperature stays at 85 degrees as it pours out into the river. The manatees were so cute, it was cold and cloudy that day, so the pictures are like, hey look at the weird snout and oh, it looks like a big rock. One even had barnacles growing on its back.

Our lasts days of the adventure have arrived and are being spent quickly now. Saturday we drove to Ybor City, Longbeach Key and to the power plant. I wanted to show Les the artisans, who roll cigars, but their day starts in the afternoon, so we couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Next, we met with some friends in Longboat Key. We ate outdoors under the mangroves watching the pelicans bob on the azure seas, eating fresh seafood fare and catching up. We left there to get to the manatee viewing spot with just twenty minutes before they closed.

Sunday and Monday, I wanted to return to Honeymoon Island. I felt like I was on a timed race and I was losing. But I enjoyed the sunshine, found some more shells and got to run along the causeway one last time. On Sunday, I walked over to the beach and thought it might be my last day, but I didn’t say good-bye, I just enjoyed the crashing waves and collected a few more shells. On Monday, I still didn’t say good-bye, but I did say “See you next time, whether that’s tomorrow or years from now, I do not know.” And the waves just kept crashing into the shore.

The wind kept me from staying too long on the beach. I went to the cafe for one more coffee and some art journaling time. Had a lovely conversation on the phone with a friend from home, and then decided it was time to really leave the beach. I thought I might be woefully sad, but instead I am contentedly happy to have spent the time here, but am ready to head home.

I will miss the ocean and all it has to offer, but it cannot offer me the one thing I need the most. It can’t promise to never say good-bye. Only God promises that. He has never left me. And I know He will not forsake me or turn away from me. He is always with me.

I am looking forward to continuing the adventure with Him in St. Louis to SEE what He has in store for me, for Les, for our family, for our friends. And I will remember that I can look for His goodness, no matter the weather, the location or the mood I might be in on any given day.

God is always good, no matter what!

Here’s some sightings of His goodness over the past few days. We’ll be in travel mode for the rest of the week, so for now, I will say “See ya later!”

And here are the shells I collected over the past two months…truly the BEST place I’ve ever been for such a variety of shells. (Today’s task was cleaning them all in bleach water.)