God's Creation

My family and I have been on vacation this week. Being mostly from Tennessee, I am used to small mountains covered with lush green trees. We have oak trees of various varieties, maple trees, and many other deciduous trees. We also have a nice selection of evergreens. Throughout most of the southeast houses are decently spread apart and have moderate to large lawns of thick green grass, flowers and shrubs.

This year for vacation we went out west. We flew to San Diego. It was an experience to say the least. Tennessee is pretty country but San Diego was also pretty just a different kind of pretty. There were fewer trees and more brush. The mountains were higher but they consisted of rock, sand and red clay. It made for a beautiful array of colors. The architecture was varied. There were a lot of stucco walls and terra cotta roofs but there were buildings of all shapes, sizes, and styles. The population also valued their landscapes. There were flowering plants of all shapes sizes and colors, use of colored gravel and several varieties of cacti.

There are no beaches in Tennessee since it is obviously land locked. I have been east to see the Atlantic Ocean and South to the Gulf. I have now seen the Pacific Ocean. Someone asked me which I liked better. That was not an easy choice. The gulf has beautiful emerald water but depending on the moon, it may have little to no waves. The Atlantic typically has bigger waves but is fraught with some scary wild life. There are some beautiful sandy white beaches there as well. The Pacific was a beautiful teal blue color and although the beaches weren't white sand, they still had character. There were cliffs alternating with wide beaches. The water was cool but not cold and the wild life was quite different. The waves were bigger in the Pacific. I told my friend that I preferred the Pacific but each one has a beauty of it's own.

Next we went through the San Bernardino Mountains. These mountains are taller than the ones in Tennessee and the scenic overlooks were fantastic. As we headed out of the San Bernardino Mountains, we entered the desert. We drove right through the Mojave Desert and past the south end of death valley. There were still mountains but the colors changed again. The shrubs and brush became even more scarce. The mountains were sandy, ruddy or even gray and black in color depending on their mineral content and composition.

We stayed in Las Vegas which was a man made oasis in the middle of the desert. One day we headed out to visit the Hoover Dam. The water was a gorgeous emerald green which was a beautiful contrast to the clear blue skies and the various shades of red, pink and tan of the desert rocks and mountains.

The flights out and back were filled with wonder and amazement as well. I wish I could describe it all in detail but I would have to write another book and I still have a book to finish and a sequel to start. Seeing God's creation in all of it's variety was nearly indescribable. Looking out of the airplane window I saw the mountains carved by His hands, the Grand Canyon dug out by his fingers and painted layers from his pallet. Traveling across farmland, I saw a myriad of colors that reminded me of a patchwork quilt. Waterways and valleys ran across the land like the veins in a leaf.

So what does this have to do with writing my book? Sometimes you have to see God's creation in all of it's splendor to remind you of who God is, how big he is and what he is capable of. This is an important point in my book. If I intend to convey this point to my readers, I had better have it firmly in my mind. I was hoping to get some writing done while on vacation but I really didn't get much done because I was busy looking out the window in awe and reverence for what God has created. Here's a thought for you. What I have seen over the last week was fantastic, and it wasn't the Garden of Eden. Imagine what that must look like.

Despite not getting a lot done on my book, I have reached 400 pages. I have actually started on page 401. I'm off for three days in a row next week. I should be able to knock a few more pages out soon.

Take some time and consider what God has created, not just pretty scenery. He also created you and he did it on purpose.

I also believe that God has a sense of humor.  I got so excited to get the chance to take a video of a humming bird in San Diego.  We have humming birds in TN but I just rarely see them.  When we pulled into the driveway after arriving home again, what did I see?  There was a yellow humming bird in the grape vines in our front yard.  I wasn't able to get the camera out in time to catch it but it was hilariously ironic.

God bless you all and God be with the families of the five men from our military who were brutally murdered this week and the police officer who was wounded.

Reggi

P. S.  For those who got tired of seeing all the pictures I posted showing up in your news feed on Facebook, I apologize.  The one thing you should know though is that I only published about a tenth or less of the pictures that I actually took.  I just like to share when I'm excited about stuff, hence the reason for my book.