Happy Wednesday, friends and readers. I hope this message finds you well. I haven't been on Hive often this month. I've experienced a rough January so far and I'm struggling with challenges that have come down the pike for my family and a couple of my close friends. The events leave me at a loss for words. Saturday we will attend a celebration of life for a dear person who passed unexpectedly a few weeks ago.
Everyone in this life will encounter situations that bring life to a halt. These events have brought me, again, to my knees trusting God, who knows everything, and asking Him to unravel the future in ways that enable us all to move forward and experience peace.
In other news, the clock is moving forward, and my nine-day trip to Hawaii with a dear friend from church is fast approaching. I've placed several online orders in preparation for the trip. An order from Shein arrived yesterday. I've repackaged most of the items to return. Shein, like Temu and the former Wish smartphone application ships goods from China. Ordering clothes from China, I realized, may not work out. I kept a dress, a belt, and a skort out of a large order. Nothing else fit well or met the expectations of the photographs on the application.
I ordered a waterproof crossbody purse for some events and a pair of water shoes that I'm waiting for. We will be whale watching one day, hiking to see beautiful waterfalls another day, snorkeling, and a helicopter ride on yet another day.
This trip is a bucket list item I've always wanted to do. This friend had planned and prepaid the hotels for her beloved sister's seventieth birthday celebration, but God had other plans for her sister, and the sister passed away this past summer. My friend asked if I would go to Hawaii with her in her sister's stead. I am honored to be able to accompany her on such a special trip.
I think God, knowing what was coming into my life, sent this gift. I look forward to this trip like a lifeboat in this storm that started last fall and has continued to build in intensity.
My prayer partners along with my close friends, and family are true blessings.
I am alive and thriving this Wednesday evening. I'm thankful for my God, home, and my family. If you're reading this I'm thankful for you, too. Thank you for reading.
Sharing a creation from my artificial art expression.
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Made in Canva
