the Grabers: 6/30/19

Whereas there was a sharp north breeze at Schoolhouse Beach, at Sand Dune Park, there was no breeze at all. It is located on the south side of Washington Island and it was a wonderful place to relax and soak in the warm sun!

"Is it warm, Hannah?"

"No."

That didn't keep the girls from putting on their swimsuits.

As usual, my photobomber, Sophia.

"Let's go in!"

"It's freezing!!"

"Come on, Claire!"

She was NOT a fan!

Sand bath

Walt Whitman once wrote "Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you." I like to twist that a little and say "Keep your face always toward the Son, and shadows will fall behind you."

I recently read that we don't need to fear shadows. They cannot hurt you. I can stand at the train station as an express train zooms past me and although the shadow passes over me, it won't hurt. It would be another thing to be hit by the train, right? Christ did that for us when He died on the cross. "He laid down His life for us and bore our death full force. As a result, we're hit only by the shadow of death." Robert Morgan, "The Lord is my Shepherd."

God is present with us always! So, "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." Psalm 23:4 The emphasis is "through". "The same God who led you in will lead you out."

Al is pointing out where Washington Island is, where we took the ferry to.

Our first stop on the island was the Island Lavender Company.

If you go in July, you will see field after field of purple lavender! We were there in June.

We were getting hungry so we found a restaurant.

CRASH!

The food was delicious! I have never tasted a better wrap EVER!

This place offers lodging as well.

Next stop: Schoolhouse Beach.

One of five beaches in the world with perfectly smooth stones.

Smooth as a babies' bottom!

In a devotional book I read, "Streams in the Desert", there is a story about Pebble Beach in California that I think it is applicable here too.

"The raging white surf continually roars, thundering and pounding against the rocks on the shore. These stones are trapped in the arms of merciless waves. They are tossed, rolled, rubbed together, and ground against the sharp edges of the cliffs. Both day and night, this process of grinding continues relentlessly. And what is the result?"

"A little further up the coast, just around the point of the cliff, is a quiet cove. Protected from the face of the ocean, sheltered from the storms, and always in the sun, the sands are covered with an abundance of pebbles never sought by the travelers. So why have these stones been left untouched through all the years? Simply because they have escaped all the turmoiil and the grinding of the waves. The quietness and peace have left them as they have always been - rough, unpolished, and devoid of beauty- for the polish is the result of difficulties.

Since God knows what niche we are to fill, let us trust Him to shape us to it. And since He knows what work we are to do, let us trust Him to grind us so we will be properly prepared."