Inescapable Miracles

If St Petersburg was amazing (which it was) then how in the world am I going to come up with a strong enough adjective for my subsequent adventure: Israel. Oh boy. It's taken me this long to post anything purely because I can't figure out how to encapsulate the experience in one or two anecdotes. Then I was reminded of something one of my favorite Germans said. "May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God's creations..." (Dieter Uchtdorf)

Sunrise over Jerusalem from a rooftop

Sunrise over the Dead Sea from the top of Masada

Sunset over the Mediterranean

If there are two things that are virtually inescapable they are the sky and yourself. They're going to follow you no matter where we go, so you might as well pay a little more attention to both. In 5.5 days I saw the sunrise and sunset from an airplane, a mountain top, a rooftop, a hillside, and a beach (not just any beach, though- the Mediterranean). With each one came a little squeal of excitement and sigh of astonishment. I can't say I'm in a particularly rushed stage of life right now. In fact, this may be the least rushed I've ever been (hence the two vacations two weekends in a row). But there I sat, stood, walked in the Holy Land, a place which I certainly hadn't anticipated seeing for quite some time, and which some people wait a lifetime to see. And as if that wasn't miraculous enough, I was actually taking the time to witness one of the most common and most overlooked miracles of all. So, "may I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God's creations..."

I'm not sayin'; I'm just sayin'.