The Dwelling Place of God

Awake at 5 a.m. yesterday, I crept out to the beach early enough to see the sunrise. It was spectacular and a fitting way to close our week at Cocoa Beach.

After my  morning walk, my hubby and I went kayaking. He had graciously let my sister use our second kayak all week, but she left Friday. So the hubster and I went meandering through the mangrove tunnels on the Banana River, and then along the quiet inlets hunting for manatee.

We hit the manatee jackpot. We found several, but the most fun one was deliriously getting drunk on fresh water flowing from a spigot at a dock. The video of that is below. I was right next to the manatee as he guzzled the water.

Then, we chanced upon the Cocoa Beach annual chili-fest. We didn't find chili, but we did find Jeannie of I Dream of Jeannie fame. You youngsters won't remember that TV show, but it was placed in Cocoa Beach and was one of my favorite shows as a child.

The arts festival was a lot of fun, with expensive, kitschy art. We loved it. We settled for pork BBQ sandwiches since we couldn't find any chili at the Chili-fest. Right at the end as we were leaving we found one vendor selling chili. Too late.

Hubby rested, while I took off on the last bike ride of our vacation. I am really going to miss this place. I love the ocean so much, and at my age, biking on nice flat beach and ocean-side roads is much to be desired. AND I found a lovely whelk shell which I have never found before.

I am very sad to leave this beautiful place today, but will squeeze in one last run along the ocean before we go. I wonder sometimes why God made beauty fleeting. The sunrise is only spectacular for a few minutes. Flowers fade. Lovely young girls grow wrinkled and bent.

But then I remember that He tells us this world will pass away, and we are to long for a new, and better place. Honestly, sometimes I can't imagine how it could get any more gorgeous...

Imagine what we have to look forward to!

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Revelation 21:1-5 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”