St. Augustine Beach
Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses, or put your toes in the sand, or why not both!
Life gets busy sometimes. I believe we can all agree on that statement. Even when our own lives may not be so busy, there are circumstances around us that make us want to just take a deep breath and exhale.
Recently Tim and I got away for a weekend. On the final morning we finished packing up and Tim said we’d go take on last look at the beach before heading out. He took the last load to the truck and I headed out for that last look. When he met me out where the water and the sand collide, Tim said, “Wow! I didn’t realize we were going ALL the way out here. I thought we were just going to take a last look from the boardwalk.” We laughed as our toes were in the water and God was painting another beautiful sunrise in the sky. Sometimes, just one little look isn’t enough. You’ve got to truly soak in the moment.
Right now my hometown is booming with hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Florida Strawberry Festival. Things get a bit busy around here. I overheard a conversation this afternoon where a lady was complaining about the busyness, costs, etc. and said, “This “stuff” is going to ruin our town.” What?! I had to say something to defend my hometown. Our town benefits economically from our festival. My school benefits financially from all the parking as our annual fundraiser. I went on to say, “Yes, it gets crazy around here for eleven days, but we just have to suck it up and smile, and breathe when it’s all over.” We are known as The Strawberry Capitol of the world, for goodness sake. This festival isn’t ruining us, it has help make us.
Whether it’s your life or your surroundings, I hope that you will stop long enough to rest in Him. Enjoy God’s goodness. Stop and smell the roses, or feel refreshed with your toes in the sand and water.
Put your toes in the sand and feel the refreshing water.
I pray many blessings and much joy for you! Have a wonderful day. – Stephanie
So so true. We have so much to be thankful for and really less to complain about. Let us be thankful that we are blest to live in a town that that supports its residence and our youth. Love abound (I think) more than not. We need to fall on our knees and thank God for His grace and enjoy what He has given us. Off my soapbox! Thank you Jesus for being able to even say this.
As I’ve helped to park cars at the Festival this week with our Soul’d Out Youth from Plant City Church of God, I’ve enjoyed thanking the visitors for “shopping local” and asking them if they had fun. The majority respond positively, saying they’ll be back or that they come every year. I’m thankful for this heritage and tradition in our sweet town, and I agree with you, the economic impact probably can’t be fully appreciated. God gave us the crop of strawberries and we are doing our best to share the sweetness with the rest of the country.