Beauty or Beast?

We just flew in from attending a wedding in Boca Grande, Florida. My precious cousin Heather and her adorable new husband David hosted a lavish, fun-filled, food laden, intoxicating destination wedding for all their Texas and Louisiana loved ones(I qualify as both!).

The Rocky Mountains and the Tetons had almost made me forget how much I love the beach. And I have to admit that the Florida Gulf coast beats the Texas coast by miles. NO JELLYFISH!!!!

Our condo was right on the water and I began each morning combing for shells and then swimming. Saturday while I was snorkeling and looking for sand dollars about 50 yards from shore, in about 5 feet of water, I glimpsed a dark shape next to me and instinctively caught my breath thinking “SHARK!” When I turned to looked, there, not 3 feet off my right side was a gentle manatee, undulating beside me. I was thrilled beyond description.

I have a list of “things to do before I die” and at the top of that list is “Swim with Dolphins”. This comes close enough to almost qualify in crossing it off the list!

I found out later that encounters with manatees are actually common around there. Later we saw several pods of bottlenose dolphins as well, and I was the ONLY one on shore eager to swim with them, however. We ARE going back. Mike promised. Merideth is jealous….

Isaiah 25:11
They will spread out their hands in it, as a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.