I’m home again.  Back to the country cottage I have decorated to reflect that something within me that touches a bit of old things, in a new sort of way.  I am really tired from our trip.  We made to it last night to where Joel is now stationed in Tennessee.  I had a hard time giving up the beach and found myself stopping off 1-95 to visit Flagler Beach, my normal spot I go to when in Florida.  I stood on the beach one more time, heart torn to have to leave, and all the same knowing I must.  This vacation has truly been one of knowledge for me, having truly heard from God on SO many things I needed to hear from Him. 

When I left on April 2^nd, I felt as if I simply had to go where I felt the wind blowing.  For sure I knew I needed to visit Isle of Palm, SC again.  Where I once stood and cried, asking God to take away the feelings of Soul Mate, only to find God was keeping it in my life via a guy I met that was a musician from the same state Soul Mate was from. It was way too coincidental than to know in my heart God had answered my pleas for help totally in a way unexpected.  This time, as I stood on that same beach, I gave it to Him.  “You don’t need to take it anymore Father, because I am giving it back to you!”  Hours later Emma would begin a conversation with Amy, as we sat at dinner at “Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., that seem to awaken me!  Through that conversation between Amy and Emma as I sat and listened, suddenly God illuminated to me the WHYS of why Soul Mate is and was to be a part of my life!  I became SO excited when I FINALLY, FINALLY understood!  From there I was like a little kid asking so many questions, only not for answers, but for more understanding on where to go from here.  I was SO alive with truth as we bid farewell to the kids in SC, and Dell and I took off for wherever the wind blew. The whole time in the car I kept seeing what God was showing me, I finally felt free.

We stopped that night in Savannah.  I was feeling creative, alive, and more free than I have felt my whole life!  I truly was seeing things differently that morning as we ate breakfast in Savannah and walked city streets from days gone by.

As we drove into Florida, unsure where in Florida we would go, I remember spotting SEVERAL license plates with the number 276 on them.  Long ago I gave up this “sign” thing when it came to license plates, having been let down too many times that they didn’t really mean what I thought they did! Last Sunday as we drove further and further into Florida, EVERYWHERE it seemed I saw a license plate with 276!  For those that don’t know the story behind 276, I once had a dream of which I was told to go wake Soul Mate up.  I was in a luxury hotel, and I was so afraid to try to do this. I kept walking around the floors, until the leader of the band Soul Mate was close with grabbed me in the dream and asked me if I had awakened him yet.  I hem hawed around in the dream and went to the center of the hotel where there was a booth. An older lady with grey hair/perhaps white was working behind the table.  I asked what room Soul Mate was in and she SCREAMED at me in a foreign accent,  276!  It was SO loud it woke me up!  From then on that became a very special number to me and whenever I’d see it, I’d immediately think of Soul Mate.  However, last Sunday, after receiving all this new-knowledge, and now noticing the NUMBER of plates that kept appearing in front of our car, I laughed to myself,  “I’ve been wrong!  276 means I need to wake up!”  Oh how free and alive I felt!  I was ALL about awakening at that point!  I had now found ALL the answers I was sure.  Until!  After 3 LONG years of silence from Soul Mate, my cell phone dings me that I had a new email.  He had suddenly sent me a message.  When I reflected on this all week at the beach, I simply smiled and succumbed to the fact that 276 truly is some sort of numerical connection between he and I.  Gotta love how God does His synchronicity sometimes!

The rest of the week when I could walk the beach at night, I did.  God filled me with so many new revelations and ideas for my life that I was moved beyond words and felt so inspired to come home and begin where the newest path is to lead me.  Because I am seeing the tomorrows past today, I was ready to get home and get busy doing what I needed to do to get to those tomorrows!  But tonight I know I shouldn’t wish my life away.  There are reasons God has us do things in steps. It’s all about learning in the end.

We did have breakfast with Joel this morning which was a very awesome time!  He has already found a new house for he and Emma and has moved in for now, sleeping on an air mattress till Emma and Drew move, once she finishes her teaching year.  I absolutely LOVED his new house!  It is SO awesome!  Emma hasn’t seen it yet, but I know when she does she is going to love it too!  Our visit with him was short, too short, but we had a 6-hour drive ahead of us and here waiting were Pete and Lilly.  I am sure they had given us up for lost by today!  We bid farewell to Joel by 9:30am, our time, 8:30am his time and headed home.  Dell did early driving, I brought us in.  I always thank the Father for safe travels, never forgetting it is He that keeps us in His tender care. 

I suppose it should feel good to be home, and in some ways it does feel good, but for the most part, home is where I realize that all these goals I had set before me while I sat on the beach under the stars and the moon as waves crashed, that once here, responsibilities give way to the goals to things like cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, bill paying, and those things I escape from when I am gone.  It doesn’t help either that I am really tired from the trip.  We didn’t get to the hotel last night until midnight, and then I was up at 6:00am this morning, 5:00am Tennessee time to meet Joel at 6:30 for breakfast.  I’m feeling it tonight!  And of course I am having Amy and girls, Jason, Susie and Elizabeth here for Easter dinner tomorrow which meant I had to unpack EVERYTHING, then head for the grocery store.  I’m really tired as I write and will head for the hot tub to unwind before falling into bed.

And tomorrow is Easter.  My faith and my beliefs, tomorrow is the most sacred of holidays for me.  It is when Jesus arose from the dead and death was defeated.  I don’t take this lightly…………and will be so very focused on the gift given me by what tomorrow represents.   I’m by no means preaching, I simply share my faith and my beliefs on what I believe is the most important holiday there is.  I wish so much I was in a church right now, but for the time being God has not placed me back in one.  My church of 12 years I no longer attend, having felt God call me out for a time, and have still not returned. I could ramble on this subject, but won’t.  Tomorrow is a very special day to my heart, and I will leave it at that.

And now, I will head to the hot tub.  Hopefully tomorrow I will get some of those photos from vacation uploaded to a slide show or something to share what the week was like.

Happy Easter, may all those that visit here be blessed with the spirit of newness, as I believe that Easter represents a new covenant and a gift of life never-ending.  In my heart this will be my thoughts as I awaken tomorrow.

As the faith, love, and light lead me on.

Goodnight, from home.

Sunshine

Goodnight Soul Mate:  Busy weekend?  I remember the day I’d panic because you weren’t here, but I don’t anymore.  I guess I truly have learned so many beautiful things about why you were meant to be in my life, and why I was shown you in those visions before we ever met and before I could put a face with the spirit I was shown, and why I remember looking for you from as early as 3-years old, even tho I didn’t know who “YOU” were!  And because I have learned the truth, I don’t panic that you won’t come back to read anymore because I know that you know the connection as well as I do.  Sometimes it hurts to think about where your life is now, but then I finally believe for a long time it hurt you too that my life was where it was.  And yet, in the midst of where our lives are, we still seem to want to look in on the other…………..guess God knew that this would be part of the plan.  And perhaps, it’s only just begun?  I think so, but not in an interrupting way for either of us.  And still, no matter where I go, or what I do, it seems to me you are right there with me.  And it’s okay.  276!   Always and forever 276 my far-away friend.  I send you love and light and miss you being here, even if it is only a day.  J Goodnight,  Love, ~Sunshine