My Vacation

This week I am preparing for a vacation. I am so excited; I’ve already packed my bags!! I have not taken a trip (other than a short weekend trip) in many years. I remember the last trip I took which required me to leave Texas was when my son got married in Las Vegas 4 years ago and, you guessed it – weekend trip! In just 3 days I will get on a plane at Hobby Airport and fly to Atlanta. I’ve never been to the Atlanta Airport, but I have heard horror stories. All I have to do is find the MARTA train and make sure I am on the correct one to take me to Doraville, where my niece will pick me up and drive me to Cleveland, GA, about an hour north. I will be visiting my sister and her children and grandchildren who live nearby. Hopefully my niece and nephew from Alabama will have the opportunity to drive over for a visit while I am there. Judy (my sister) has a lot of things planned and it was wise to make her home the first stop on my trip. I am sure we will go to Helen, Babyland (home of the Cabbage Patch Doll), and some antique stores. Of course, we will be attending First Baptist Church of Cleveland, GA on Sunday followed by a wonderful lunch with family. It will be so good to see everyone there that I miss so much.

After spending 3 busy days and nights with Judy, I am taking a shuttle back to the Atlanta Airport and flying to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. to see my newest grandson, Raven. He was just born 8 days ago and I can hardly wait to hold him and kiss his chubby cheeks. My daughter Krys is fairly laid back so I am planning to spend a lot of time at my hotel, sunning, sleeping and doing a lot of nothing for 4 solid days! Oh, I am sure we will take in the sights, but my goal once I hit Florida is to enjoy white sand beaches and crystal clear water. That is something I have never experienced. I was born in Galveston. From pictures I have seen of other islands, Galveston beaches are the ugliest in the world! Thank goodness Ft. Lauderdale is on the Atlantic side of the state so there should be no problems from the ongoing influx of oil and is currently spewing off the coast of Louisiana. By the way, I remember getting tar all over my body and bathing suits since I was a child whenever we went to Galveston. Oil spills must be talked about more now than they were then. Just a thought . . .

I have had a very difficult couple of years with the loss of 3 jobs. Fortunately, I now have a wonderful job at NASA, but no one here knows how long our jobs will be in place. I know God is in control so I refuse to worry about losing this job. Instead I have chosen to thank God for His blessings and provision. I wanted to share this particular blog to let my friends know about my trip May 15 -22, but to also give thanks to God for allowing me to take this trip. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. He does not vary or change; God is good, all the time. I also want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to go to college and pursue a degree in Religion with a minor in Biblical Studies. I’ve been working hard and am proud to report that at the end of my first semester I have 4 A’s (the highest average being 100 and the lowest being 96.7). That is pretty cool for someone who hasn’t been to school in 44 years! So, thank you, Lord! I worship You for who You are and I praise You for the things You have done and are continuing to do in my life. As the Vicki Yohe song says, “Because of who You are I give you glory. Because of who You are I give you praise. Because of who You are, I will life my voice and say, Lord I worship You because of who You are. Jehovah Jireh, my provider; Jehovah Nissi, Lord you reign in victory; Jehovah Shalom, You’re my Prince of Peace; Lord I worship You because of who You are.”

Don’t forget to thank God today for those things He has done and continues to do in your life. Everything you have came from His hand. The prayers of his children are like sweet incense to Him. Be faithful in prayer to the One who loves you more than you will ever know.

Be blessed this day!

Candy