Peaceful Night

Anatomy of a Sunset

Meet Mr. Sting Ray

I had two great posts taking shape in my head last night. I even took the time to take a few pictures to accompany these random posts. However, I got side tracked. I decided to take a walk and watch the sunset. It was a great one! By the time I got back to my apartment I need to finish up my niece's sonogram video so I can get it and the canvases in the mail. By the time I completed my tweaking (I have been known to be a wee bit of a perfectionist) and burned the four copies to put in the box it was late and there was no time for blogging. (It wasn't that late, but when you alarm goes off at 4:45 am, it was already going to be a short night.)

During my sunset gazing, I was surrounded by God's creation. Ducks and other birds that I will never be able to identify flew overhead. Fish were jumping out of the water...I can only assume that they were trying to get a quick glimpse of the colorful sky. Dragonflies skimmed the top of the water. Then this guy surfaced right under where my feet were dangling off the side.


I am not exactly sure how big he was, but let's just put it this way, I'm glad I wasn't in the water with him. Which ironically reminded me of when my friend Abbey came to visit and we went to the beach. She read the warning about the stingrays and how to do the "stingray shuffle". What was so funny was that she practiced it in the sand. Anyway, the barb on this guy was about 3 feet long!

As I walked back to my apartment four dolphins were swimming just a few feet away, but there were too fast for me and my little camera.

I'll try to post some of my sunset pictures later today.

Trying to Hide

This is were I run/walk each evening. I've heard this "trail" is about a mile long, but I honestly have no way to confirm that at this time. It winds the entire length of my apartment complex along the bay. Recently I have begun to take advantage of some beautiful evenings and clear skies after my run and have become a star gazer...but that is a whole other story.

I definitely am blessed with some beautiful views especially in the evenings.

I've really enjoy my runs along this trail, but a couple of weeks ago the apartment complex brought in what I assume was truck loads of a particular substance to do a little maintenance on the trail. You might wonder exactly what this material was...let me show you.

At first the "resurfacing" of the trail made it difficult to run on. The packed trail that I had become comfortable with suddenly was piled nice, high, and well loosely. It has taken several weeks, but with enough runner, walkers, bikers, and golf carts on the trail, the shells have again begun to be packed down making my evening runs much easier. However, there is still a problem. Some of those tinniest shells some how make their way into my shoes. Here is what I have collected since Sunday.

Let me just say, that this is not comfortable, and there are times in which I have had to stop and retrieve these little guys before I can continue.

Other times I continue running and try to get these broken shells into a particular place where they do not cause any discomfort or pain. This normally works for a while, but they eventually squirm their way back into place that begins to cause that annoying poking sensation. I have discovered that there is only one way to make sure they don't cause any problems and that is to untie my shoe, take it off, empty my shoe out, put my shoe back on, and finally retie the laces.

Sometimes in life, it is the same way. Some annoying habit or struggle appears in my life. I might try to ignore it for a while...push it into some corner so that it doesn't cause me any discomfort or pain. Eventually it makes it way back out into the open and rears it's ugly head.

I can fool other people. I can even fool myself. There is one person that I can never fool.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13

Eventually, you can't ignore it. You can't hope it goes away. You can't shove it out of the way and simply pray that it stays there. The only way to really get rid of these habits and struggles...so to speak...is to take off the shoe, empty it all out, and then put the shoe back on. But it isn't something that we can do on our own.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2

Evening Walk

I realized that it had been over a month since I ventured out with my camera so tonight after dinner I took a leisure walk around the complex. Here is a little of what I found before it was too dark to take any more pictures.

Missed It!

Last night I headed out of my apartment to go to a Christmas party for work when I saw the most incredible sunset that I have seen in a while. I did what any blogger would do and ran back inside to grab my camera. It must have taken me 45 seconds to do that- not long at all. However, in that few seconds it took the sunset had virtually disappeared. I wondered if I should have just stayed an enjoyed it instead of rushing in to get the camera. I also began to think about how much I miss because I have my own agenda and I fail to take the time to just "be still and know..."