surprises

Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.”

Joseph Addison

Surprise

Dictionary definition: to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness

I love it when God surprises me. And I received two very unexpected surprises while on this trip. The island of St. John is breathtaking. It is like a series of mountains rising up from the sea. Not hills…mountains. The kind of mountains that might cause one to fall from a vehicle if one were, let’s say, riding in the back of a pickup. Those same mountains serve as a resting place for magnificent homes that overlook the ocean.

Ahhh…the ocean. I have never seen water so blue, so green, so blue-green.

For a girl who lives in Pennsylvania, flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies are quite a treat in the middle of winter. Mosquitoes and tiny biting ants, not so much. (I added that in so you won’t envy me too much) Ok, so not all surprises are welcome.
But….

One evening, I was sitting outside talking to my sister-in-laws. We were in the middle of a serious conversation. Although it was raining lightly, it was a warm evening. There was a big, beautiful full moon in the sky. As we looked out over the horizon, we saw something that at first looked like a search light but instead of going straight into the sky it had an arc to it. We got up to take a closer look and the arc stretched from one side of the horizon to the other. It was a rainbow! Ok…not a rainbow, but maybe a ‘moonbow’ I had never seen anything like it before. It looked just like a rainbow but instead of colors it was pale silver. We just stood there and watched it until it faded from sight. Pure gift, total surprise.

One of our last days on the island, we took a short but exciting drive over the mountain our house was anchored to. We were looking for a small, secluded, rocky beach that someone had suggested we check out. We got out of the car and began to walk the beach. No sand, just rocks, coral and shells. A sound caught my attention. The waves were breaking on the shore. When the water receded there was this amazing sound as the water rolled out over the pebbles. As I walked further down the beach, the sound changed. I noticed that the size of the pebbles was larger, more like small rocks. Again the waves came in and when the water returned to the sea it gently pulled the rocks against each other, creating a deeper toned sound than with the pebbles. I truly could have sat there all day long as listened to that sound. Again, a lovely surprise.

Outside of the time I had with family, these two experiences will stand out to me on this trip. They were unexpected, lovely surprises from God. Be on the lookout today – you don’t need to be on an island to receive the gift of a surprise. Yours might just be around the corner.

Grace and peace,

Deb