Reflections is a weekly meme hosted by Kristin of A Simply Enchanted Life and Fizzy of Fizzy Pop Collection. Every Sunday we will dig deeper in our recent reads to explore the real-life lessons within the pages. Reading the book yourself is not necessary to participate. If you would like to host your own reflection, you’re welcome to copy and paste this introduction, with the link to our pages. You may use our current or prior reflections or come up with your own.
In ‘The Gift of Christmas Past‘ by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall Hadley Granger is a foster child with a lot of baggage and a lot of anger. When things get too much, Hadley finds comfort in the beauty of the mountains, specifically at the French Broad Overlook. Are there any special places in nature where you find God’s peace in an especially powerful way?
I have allergies—terrible allergies. Why is this important? Well, I was born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina—one of the most beautiful places on earth but with an overabundance of pine trees. I’m miserable, I wake up every day with stuffy nose and any time spent outside is fairly unenjoyable. Although I will suffer to go out and get some great images with my camera.
Having said that, there is one place in nature where I can breathe. I feel so much peace and happiness and overall wellness at the beach. There’s something about hearing the crash of the waves and knowing that the God I serve created it all. That just beneath the surface are magnificent creatures capable of swallowing me whole. There’s a wide range of emotions when I’m there and peace is definitey one of them. I feel closer to God there than I do anywhere. It’s like every breath fills me with his comfort, peace and love. There’s nothing better.
I’ve personally not had the opportunity to read this book but Kristin has it well it was her week to pick the question. That being said, I don’t have a basis for Hadley and her affinity for the French Broad Overlook. However, I know well my affinity to anywhere that has water. Water has it’s own music, it’s own silence, and it’s own noise. Water is all things and nothing. It’s thought provoking and soul soothing. Water at night has a reflective quality that changes the rules. Some of the best nights of my life involve laying back on the boat dock watching the stars and listening to the water lap the shore. I love the mountains, I love the woods, I love vast expanses of prairie grass, but nothing is more soul soothing than water. Ocean, lake, pond. River, stream, creek. Water.