Page 146 began with some sunrise photos then we headed out in search of some dolphin to photograph.  We have usually found them to be rather playful under the pier at the Fort De Soto park, so we made the drive down to see what we could find.  Unfortunately, we found no sign of dolphin at the park nor in the waterways leading up to, and surrounding, the park.  There was, however, plenty to photograph and enjoy during our visit.  It seems the cold front that brought the high winds and storms on Wednesday stirred up the water so that it is still full of suspended sand and dirt, keeping the dolphin more mobile as they search for food.  

After visiting the park, we stopped at a “beach store” so I could buy a kite to fly on the beach.  There is usually enough of a breeze coming in off the water to put a kite in the air and relax as it soars overhead.  After a very good seafood lunch, they brought the seafood combo platter out on a half-sheet cookie tray, we went to the beach where I was able to literally go fly a kite. 🙂  Eventually we took a break from the beach and went swimming in the pool before grilling hamburgers for dinner.  Hearing Christians tear down the authority of God’s Word as not being applicable, or not being understood correctly, made more sense as I watched the posted rules at the pool being disregarded and heard a child explaining to her mom why the rules didn’t apply to what she was doing.  Eventually a group of women showed up with speech that was entirely inappropriate for any setting, but being surrounded by children and adults didn’t seem to bother them.

Today’s photo kind of fits that mindset.  I found the birds standing on top of the sign to be interesting, but more telling of our culture is that the sign sets the boundaries for where swimming is allowed in the park.  Not that it made a lot of difference as there were people swimming all along the shoreline in either direction from the sign.  The first temptation to mankind was the serpent asking, “Did God really say?”.  The enemy continues to use that same question because it works so well.  As a culture we believe we are so much smarter than any generation prior to us, so we “know” God really didn’t say what the generations before us have believed He said.  Yes, it is possible to become Pharisaical in regards to legalism being the way to God, but it is also just as dangerous to empty the Word of God of its power which is the only way to be saved.  The same Jesus that said, “Your sins are forgiven.” also said, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”  Perhaps we would do well to pay more attention to the little things that lead us into a lifestyle of disobedience before we find our self disobeying the “weightier matters”.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Just because something worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will work today — but it might, so it still may be worth trying.
• When circumstances change so that what you are trying doesn’t work, it is time to find out what does work.
• Sometimes we all need to just “go fly a kite”.  Find something that is enjoyable and relaxing and just take the time to do it.
• Little things matter because they reveal our heart.
• Disobedience can easily become a lifestyle if we don’t put effort into taking every thought captive to the Word of God.
• Choosing to obey ought to be a response of love toward a God who first loved us.

Page 145 was a great family day that was full of good things right up to the end, so I’m writing this page the next morning. 🙂  The day began with the sky full of clouds and a steady breeze coming off the water.  We spent the morning at a county park and a botanical garden where, between the two, there were plenty of photo opportunities — including the photo that made today’s page.  While we were out, the clouds cleared and the sun came out to brighten the day.  We came back “home” for lunch and then finally made it to the pool.  After we had soaked in a fair amount of sun, we headed out for a late afternoon walk which resulted in ice cream for dinner.  Our evening was spent relaxing at the beach as we photographed the setting sun.  It is nice that we have a common hobby.  One of the ladies around us, who was also taking photos, commented that it looked like we had a competition going.  I told her, “no, just both of us doing something we enjoy.”  After the sun had set, it was back to the room to go through the 400 photos I had taken during the day.  My basic photo editing doesn’t work on the computer I have with me, so it was just time spent enjoying them as I browsed through looking for favorites and ideas for future photos.

Today’s photo was taken at the botanical gardens and it reminds me of how easy it is for things to bug me.  There are a lot of things in life that have the ability to “get under our skin” and bug us if we allow them to.  Yet many of those same things can help us to grow and become more effective in our walk with God if we would only learn from them.  Insects are not a favorite creature of mine, unless they’re butterflies, as a good number of them “bug” me.  Yet as I look at the beauty of the intricate detail captured in this photo, it serves to remind me of the beauty that God can make out of the things in life that tend to bug me.  Perhaps all of us need to pause and consider what God is working on whenever something bugs us.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• A famous line says, “there’s no place like home.”  Yet, experience tells me there are many places like home if I have my family with me.
• The writer of Romans says that mankind is without excuse when it comes to knowing God exists.  An observant walk through nature would say the same thing.
• The value of experiencing life together is not defined by the monetary cost.
• Family walks are great.  Family walks that result in an ice cream stop are even better!
• It is possible to put forth your best effort and constantly try to improve without being in competition with someone else.
• Always look for God’s work and beauty . . . even in the things that bug you.

Page 144 was a rather blustery day along the coast so we headed inland to see what we could find to do and photograph.  There were high wind warnings in place for the Skyway Bridge as we headed over it mid-morning.  Evidently, that danger increased as the bridge was completely closed as we headed north late in the afternoon — but that comes later in the story. 🙂

Our first stop for the day was at Myakka River State Park where we did some walking and found some birds and alligators to photograph.  After some time at the park, we made our way to lunch before stopping at the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary.  On our way out of town this morning we went by a large sign advertising this place and the sign caught Susan’s eye immediately.  I don’t know that she understood it was advertising a place to see animals, but she did like the tiger pictures that were on the sign.  They had a variety of exotic, and not so exotic, animals but it was the tigers that Susan wanted to see.  Definitely worth stopping just to see the joy it brought to Susan.  Today’s photo is of one of the tigers who was very active and expressive as we watched and talked to them.

As we stopped at a farm market to pick up some veggies on our way back to town, the rain began to fall.  Heading north, the roadside signs warned that the Skyway Bridge was closed and an alternate route needed to be found.  Unfortunately, the only alternate route to this bridge was a very long drive around the entire bay.  The heavy rain had let up and it didn’t seem too windy inland, so we stopped at the outlet mall to spend a little time in hopes that the bridge would reopen.  Bonus number one of the closed bridge was the Hershey’s Ice Cream shop at the outlet mall. 🙂  After our walk and ice cream at the mall, we headed back north but the bridge was still closed.  So, on we drove north so we could come back south.  In fact, we had to drive so far north into Tampa that bonus number two of the closed bridge came up — dinner at Skyline Chili.  We did eventually make it back to our room where we could relax and go through the photos from the day.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• When trouble comes, flexible plans generally create better results than rigid plans.
• There are many things in life that could cause discouragement.  That doesn’t mean that you always have to let them do so.
• While plan B or C may not be as good as plan A, they’re still better than no plan and they just might turn out even better than plan A.
• One of my desires is to learn from Susan how to delight in the moment more often.
• Some events in life are difficult and annoying, but beyond our control.  Find ways to experience “bonus” joy during those events and you will often find them less annoying.
• Sometimes you have to go where you don’t want to be in order to get to where you do want to be.

Page 143 was a warm but breezy day.  I slept a little past sunrise this morning, so I guess the resting is beginning to reset my body clock.  A heavy cloud cover came with the strong breeze, so I don’t think I missed much of a sunrise anyway.  The day was spent at a couple different county parks where we were able to view and photograph a variety of beautiful scenes and birds.  We managed to catch sight of a couple different groups of dolphin, but none were at a good location to photograph.  We even found a couple different bald eagle nests, but the eagles were either hunkered down out of the wind and out of sight or were out catching the next meal.

Today’s photo is of a duck-type bird feeding one of her young.  I’m not sure I would be all that thrilled about a serving of fresh algae, but this seemed to satisfy the young.  As I read social media, there are many times that individuals get all bent out of shape in regard to how someone else raises their young.  I understand that there are people who mistreat their children and abuse them in a myriad of ways, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  Far too often, people are quick to criticize simple decisions that are not right and wrong issues but rather issues of parent and/or child preference.  It would be like me criticizing this mother for giving her young algae to eat when I don’t even know what kind of bird it is, let alone what the young prefer and what is best for it.  It seems like social media is often an instrument completely devoid of understanding and grace.  It doesn’t seem to matter what the topic, people are quick to become angry and judgmental regardless of how many facts they know . . . or more likely, don’t know.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Learning to rest can be difficult to someone used to an early morning work routine.
• When I go out to take photos, I don’t always find what I’m looking for but I’m more likely to find something to photograph if I look.
• When we seek God with our whole heart, we don’t always find what we expect but we always find God . . . that’s His promise.
• I don’t have to know what something is, or understand it, to appreciate its beauty.
• God wants our conversations to be seasoned liberally with grace — that includes our social media conversations.
• People are different.  Some of us are more different than others. 🙂
• God’s standard of right and wrong never changes and is always accurate . . . but fortunately, it always comes with a generous portion of grace.

Page 142 has been a relaxing day even though I’m still in the habit of waking up early.  The early wake-up was actually a bonus as I was able to see about eight dolphin playing in the intercoastal waterway out our back door.  As the sun finished rising, they made their way to wherever they were heading for the day so I went inside for some breakfast and to see if the rest of my family was ready to start the day.  Once everyone was ready, we headed out and spent some time at a nature preserve in the morning, and then after lunch we headed to the beach.  

Today’s photo is of a pelican enjoying a meal he had just caught while a gull is coming in to see if he can get a free meal out of the deal.  I watched this pelican for some time as it would glide above the shoreline and then dive into the water for a tasty fish dinner.  Each time he dove into the water, he was immediately surrounded by gulls that were hoping for a chance at leftovers.  It made me think about how often people flock to something that appears to be successful rather than put in the work necessary on their own in order to have their own success.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes I’m awake when I think I ought to be sleeping.  Those are always good times to see what God may be trying to teach or show me.
• Some opportunities only present themselves for a short time — you either have to make the most of it while you can, or miss it altogether.
• Working hard will often attract people who want to benefit from your hard work — do your work as if working for the Lord anyway.
• Rest is a process of surrender.

Page 141 was day one of a family vacation.  I’m thinking that may mean my daily pages are abbreviated to a daily photo and perhaps a few thoughts on the day and/or the photo.  We had originally planned on taking two days and driving down to Florida but found a good rate on flights, so we flew down.  This may have been one of the smoothest flights we’ve taken, as far as the process went.  It never felt like we were waiting very long at any point of the check-in, security, or boarding process.  

Today’s photo is of a “skimmer” in action.  These birds cruise the shoreline with open beak, skimming the surface of the water to scoop up an evening meal.  While these were skimming the surface, other birds were diving into the breaking waves hoping to catch their meal in a different manner.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes even good routines need to change in order to focus on something different for a time.
• If  your focus is on the destination, a smooth journey is a bonus — the real reward is reaching the destination regardless of how the journey goes.
• God has provided food for the birds of the air but they don’t all get that food in the same manner — in fact, not all birds were created to survive on the same diet.  
• God made you to be unique as you serve Him and thrive in the environment He created you for.

After working late Friday night, page 140 began early with the sounds of Susan in a seizure.  It wasn’t a major one and didn’t last long, so we all went back to sleep for a while.  Once I woke up for the day, I turned my attention to writing yesterday’s page.  The rest of the day has been spent relaxing and getting ready for some vacation time with my family.  It made me think of the wise words I heard years ago about how to correctly pack for a vacation.  They said the process is simple.  Once you’re ready and just before you leave, you open up each suitcase and take out half of the clothes.  Then you open up your wallet and double whatever cash you had planned on taking.  🙂 I know, in today’s culture where everything is put on a card and very little cash is used, the instructions may need a little modification but other than that, it seems like sound advice to me.

Today was another day with no new photos, so the photo for today’s page comes from our family vacation four years ago.  They dolphins are fun to watch as they play in the Gulf of Mexico and along the intercoastal waterway.  Each sighting turns into a photo opportunity and a desire to see more.  

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• A loved one in need motivates most people to action.
• Would godly love for all people change how we act toward them?
• If social media is any indication, I live in a nation full of angry people.
• Some people spend more time and effort planning for a short vacation than they do for eternity.
• If I respond in anger to things that make me angry, all I do is escalate the anger rather than share God’s love.
• Hateful responses to angry words will rarely change anybody’s mind.
• Peaceful words, like peaceful scenes, tend to attract people who want peace in their life.
• Having a glimpse of godly joy in others will almost always create a desire within you to taste of that joy yourself.

Friday was a long workday as expected, so page 139 is being written the next morning.  I finally slept all the way up to my alarm going off so I felt a little more rested as I got up and headed into work.  The first thing that got my attention as I left the house was the need for a jacket.  After two days of temperatures above eighty degrees, it was going to be a struggle for this day to make it out of the forties.  The moon was shining bright overhead but the clouds were beginning to gather in the western sky.  As I went about my morning cleaning tasks, the day began to arrive with increasing light.  The official sunrise time is early enough now that it occurs in the middle of my usual morning routine.  Daylight always makes me feel better, so I am happy to see it begin earlier each day — at least while I need to do the early morning cleaning.

Once the building was ready for the day, I spent some time correcting the prayer guide I had scheduled for the first week of June.  After writing it yesterday, I had somehow sent a different one to the office to be used for the June 4 bulletin.  Fortunately that was an easy thing to correct.  It was the last day of preschool for the school year, so I kept an eye on Susan while MJ was busy with the graduation tasks and ceremony.  Once the students and family members were gone, I went out to begin round one of the mowing for the day.  I had been watching the weather radar, as they were calling for rain, and it looked like I would have a couple decent windows of time between rains throughout the day to get all the lawn mowed.  After mowing what I could around the building without disturbing any of the school classes going on, it was time to head inside for a break to warm up.  

After a cup of coffee and some chocolate, I went outside to begin round two of the mowing.  I knew I would need to get fuel for the mower before finishing for the day, but it felt like rain was on the way so I decided to mow what I could and go get fuel during the rain chased me inside.  I had most of what I wanted to mow in the back field done when a light drizzle began.  It was light enough, and I was dressed warmly enough, that I kept mowing until the back play field was done and all I would have left for later was a little bit around the building and the front lawns.  As I pulled up to the garage to put the mower away during the rain, a friend was unloading some lumber for an eventual ga-ga ball pit on the property.  I helped him unload his truck and then as I went to back the lawnmower into the garage, it died.  I restarted it and moved it about two feet before it died again.  Yep, it was out of fuel in the doorway of the garage.  We pushed it into the garage and I went inside to warm up once again before going to get a late afternoon lunch and some fuel for the mower.

It was still raining when I got back from lunch so I began a few cleaning projects to start getting the building ready for Sunday.  With an eye on the radar, it looked like it wouldn’t be long before the rain would move through and I would have a clearing to finish the mowing.  Sure enough, a little before six the rain stopped and I bundled up and went out to mow.  I may have mowed for half an hour before the drizzle returned, but my snow shoveling jacket kept me both warm and dry as I spent the next hour and a half mowing in the light rain.  Dry, that is, until my final section of mowing took me along the edge of the woods and as I mowed under the overhanging branches, I brushed against them enough that they released all of the moisture they held right down my back.  If I was tired before, I sure was awake now!  After putting the mower away, it was once again back inside to warm up and then finish the cleaning and prep to get the building ready for Sunday.  All in all, it was a good productive day and while the rain may have dampened my clothes and body, it surely didn’t dampen my spirit.

With the day busy from beginning to end, I took no new photos although in my final warm up time in the office, a beautiful woodpecker showed up outside my window while I was caught with no camera in the office and not enough light for a photo if I would have had a camera with me.  Instead, today’s photo is one from Thursday as I looked out over the lake at Potato Creek on a sunny, eighty-five degree afternoon.  It represents the peace that I had, not only during that time at the lake, but also during the cold, rainy day of mowing.  It’s a peace that God puts within me as I trust Him so the circumstances of the day don’t have the power to remove it — only I decide if it stays or not.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• The weather is a good reminder that in life what you are experiencing now may not be the same as what tomorrow will bring.   
• While I don’t know the details of tomorrow, I do know the One who does — and I choose to trust Him.
• Mowing is nicer when it is warm and sunny but for me, it is still relaxing to spend that time with God even when it is cold and drizzling.
• There will be unpleasant times in life.  That doesn’t mean we have to become unpleasant people.
• We often reflect the attitudes that people have toward us.  It would be much better if we reflected that attitude God has toward us.
• True peace comes from our relationship with God regardless of our circumstances.