As we trekked across Northern California I often thought, God is in this place. From the engineering marvel of the Golden Gate Bridge, to the majestic cathedral of Redwoods – from the splendor of Napa vineyards, to the granite cliffs and crystal blue water of Lake Tahoe – from a delightfully eccentric lady named Cece we met in Muir Woods, to the couple we shared a toast with at Mumm Winery in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary; and in the precious lesbian couple that got engaged on the Jumbotron at a baseball game in Oracle Park- God was in every place and every face.
Tonight in North Carolina God was in the smile of a three year old girl coming down the slide with her Grammy.
YHVH belongs to no one and everyone, loves without condition or bias and is reflected in all of creation.

“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.”

There was a time when family vacations were just the four of us.
Now there are seven + the puppy, in our tribe.
Though I’ve heard of the perils of spending a week together, we have somehow managed to love our way around any emotional landmines.

We explored the shores and built birthday cakes made of sand and seashells. 
We anchored in the crystal water of Cape Lookout, floating on tethered tubes, soaking up the hot sun and cold beverages.
We were enchanted by the other-worldly beauty of the wild horses of Shackleford Banks.
We showered the salt off of us, cooked on the grill, drink wine, and laughed till we cried.

At KBs bedtime she insisted that everyone get up and dance to Frozen’s Let it Go.
Grammy and Auntie twirled her, and mommy and daddy waltzed beside them.
I tried to capture the moment on my camera but she looked over at me and shouted “put the phone down gandaddy and DANCE!

Soon we’ll be packing up and heading home in separate cars, traveling back to separate work days and dinner tables.
But the sights and sounds of this week are etched and treasured in the archive of my soul forever.

Tomorrow I won’t hear the sound of waves crashing in the surf or feel the sea breeze laced with salt blowing through my hair,
but I can always go back to that moment when a three year old gave me words to live by – put the phone down and dance…