Tonight finds me feeling a bit more inspirational than I have in a very long time.  I’m not sure really why as by all accounts I should be falling into bed with exhaustion after the last week of non-stop running, getting home at 5:30pm last night, and then up at 5:00am this morning to drive the wretched long drive to work, but for some reason, I feel really inspired at the moment.  I like these times.

I guess I should first share the story of the tidal wave pool, and where I left off last night from vacation memories.  It was last Friday. The last day of vacation.  The heat was so oppressive in Florida while we were there, Friday was no different.  Typhoon Lagoon, a water park by Disney was the perfect solution to the heat.  I loved, LOVED the pool that was not only a wave pool, but a tidal wave pool! This 15-20 foot wave came about every 4-5 minutes.  Chad, my son-in-law who is 6’7” swam out to where it came out at the full perfect wave before crashing half-way in the pool where those of us that were chicken were swept away with some of the best body surfing I’ve done in my life.  I would watch Chad be swept to the top of the wave, where he looked so tiny in comparison.  Oh how fun it looked to be able to be pulled to the top of such an enormous wave, but I learned of myself in that moment that no matter how much I LOVE waves, I am still a chicken at heart. Nope, I’d remain in the sweeping away part after the wave broke and body surf till my heart was content.  I spent almost an hour riding in the big one, after watching Chad be sucked to the top before breaking.  And then it happened. It must have been a bigger wave than all the others as this one took me further than I had yet gone toward the shallow end and *poof* rolled me to the bottom of the pool which was really rough concrete.  It tore the skin off of my right knee, and let me tell you, it HURT like the dickens!  I got out of the pool right away as I was bleeding and I figured all the other people didn’t want me in the pool that way!  OMG!  By the time I got out and to Amy, blood was dripping down my leg.  I had no choice but to head to first aid.  How embarrassing was that?

When I got there the nurse was fixing up a little girl probably about the age of 12 with the same injury I had.  She must have been swept in by the same wave I was!  She wasn’t as brave as I was and tears were streaming down her cheeks as the nurse was treating her.  Her dad looked at the blood coming down my leg and said to me,  “I’ll tell you the same thing I told my daughter, you just DIDN’T get out there far enough!”  I supposed he was right.  The little girl got a sucker from the nurse and off she went bandaged.  Then it was my turn. I felt a bit silly actually as I kept telling her I’d never of come to first aid but I figured Disney didn’t want me in the water park with blood. She laughed and treated me with the same stuff she had the little girl. *ouch*  I came out with a butterfly bandage.  When I think about it, I didn’t get a sucker!  Oh well.  I knew my swimming in the tidal wave moment was over.  I couldn’t imagine what my knee would feel like if it happened again. I decided to go to the lazy river and float.  The paradise of the mile-long river in a tube with all the beauty of exotic trees and waterfalls seemed like a better option.

After we were through at Typhoon Lagoon we quickly changed in the 100 degree, 100% humidity and moved on over to the Magic Kingdom for a final run of magical times.  Skylar now old and tall enough to ride Splash Mountain was determined to get on that ride one more time!  Amy and Chad took her that direction while Dell and I took Breezy on to Fantasy Land to ride “Winnie The Pooh,” “It’s a Small World” and “Peter Pan’s Flight.”  Breezy now two is so amazed at all the wonder these rides have to offer. (The girls at the Magic Kingdom)

My very favorite Disney character is Tigger......and I got a hug and a photo opt with him!

And then it was back to the condo to get ready for the long trip home. *sighs*

I was happy tho as Joel and Emma were going to be in Chattanooga with the kids.  We would meet on Saturday night and have dinner with them on our way home. It gave me something to look forward to. I had gotten Drew and little Abigail gifts at Disneyworld.  Abigail and Elizabeth each got their “Mickey Mouse Ears” with their names on the back.  Amy started this tradition when Skylar was born so now it is a MUST that all newborns get their ears as soon as one of us are there.  Here’s a photo of Abigail, 4-months old with her ears.

We ended up spending the night in Chattanooga.  Joel and Emma came back to the room for a few minutes, but we were all exhausted. (Some photos of the cousins having fun)

On the trip home I realized how weird it was going to be going home.  I love my new house, I honestly do, but only being here for a mere 5 weeks, it just isn’t quite home………..yet.  It was weird not driving to my home town.  It was even more sad because Nickie (20-year old cat) would no longer be home to greet me. I know Pete was missing him too as I noticed he ran around the house looking for something. I’m SURE he was looking for Nick, scared of him as he was.

But life goes on and it was back to work this morning.  I honestly had promised myself I was going to call in sick today…………but as is true to nature for me I just couldn’t do it. If I’m not sick I go to work. It’s just the way it’s always been in my life.  Character is what we do when no one is looking………except God.  I think I learned at an early age that to pretend to be sick when I’m not only leads to one thing……………actually getting sick in the near future when I really do need a sick day.  Character is something I guess I learned really early in life, or perhaps I’m learning that I want to do the right thing as much as I can while on the journey.  Perhaps I could get away with it, but would it be the right thing to do as a witness and Ambassador of God’s kingdom?  So I went to work.

I think it was a good thing.  My boss lost her mom while I was in Florida and she’s not doing too good. She won’t be in the rest of the week, but actually is sick. I think she has what I had in Florida with the sore throat, etc.  We talked this morning as she emotionally poured out all she was feeling.  She still continues to believe God sent me to her and I think I have to agree as looking back I still can’t believe I left my job of 20-years to work part-time at such a cut in pay.  But I felt led to, as if it was the next step on the journey.  Now I guess I know why.  She’s lived a twin soul story in her life, and let me tell you, just watching her story I have learned SO much of my own twin soul story!  Wow.  She thinks I was sent to her, but perhaps it was the next step for me to learn so much along the way.  But times change and life goes on and the journey never seems to leave us where we are for too long…..and my time has come to leave her now.  So as I calmed her spirit down with words of love and life for her grieving process I tried to tell her that my time to leave had come and that the 22^nd of the month would be my last day.  “OH NO SUNSHINE!  You can’t do this to me now!  Not with all that is going on in my life.  Please no, don’t go now!”  We do have a new guy coming in from Houston next week to take Felicia’s place who took a huge promotion at the university.  My boss won’t be around to work with the new guy and she needs me to be there for him.  I told her I’d stick around a few more weeks, but the drive was getting to me and I needed to really figure out my next steps.  What else could I do tho?

The day seemed to fly at least and before I knew it I was back home the 83 miles and feeling so inspirational. I actually got the dogs and went out and walked in my new neighborhood for the very first time.  It’s only one street with a cul-de-sac at the end, houses lining the walk. For a moment I actually missed my acres and acres of woods I use to do meditation hikes in, but it was sure easier to walk on pavement vs. grass and hills.  Do I sound homesick?  Perhaps just a little.

And that leads to tonight. I decided to update the journal just a tad, and allow the creative feeling I have tonight to flow.  I had lunch with Felicia today. We talked about how lost and displaced I feel at the moment as I am so unsure where I will find a job and what is next.  She interrupted me and said, “I think it’s time you finish your book.”  Was it the way she said it?  It was almost like some sort of reprimand to stay focused on where it is I need to go.  Sometimes that happens tho……….messages come from the strangest places when we least expect them.

And with that I think I will head to the hot tub.  Yes, I am tired beyond belief, but feeling as I do tonight I think I shall enjoy my quiet moments with God before falling into bed.  So much going on in this head of mine, but I don’t think that is so unusual.

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

~Sunshine

GNTS:  I so wish I could share with you all that I have learned along the way. I think I’ve tried in so many ways by these little notes to you at night, but then some of the things I’ve learned I feel as if I need to keep buried in my heart too. And then of course there is that constant “mystery” that surrounds you. The unanswered questions I always wonder if I will ever know the answers to.  But these days I keep the mystery alive in my heart and actually have come to cherish it because it is that which causes me to grow more and more along the way.  You once told me I had a great life goin’ on of which I thought you were nuts at the time…………..but all these years later I have learned that yeah, I do have a lot of great things in my life that I took for granted for so long……………but I don’t anymore as I find a heart of gratitude in the smallest of things truly does matter in the end.  I hope you are filled with gratitude for the things you are blessed with too.  And tho you are there and I am here, I am so very grateful that somehow, somewhere, we do share something so very special.  Goodnight you,  just me.

 Rather than a song tonight...............I will share a moment I had in Florida of finding someplace I knew so well.............