God’s Beauty Abounds

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday my husband and I decided to take a quick trip to the coast for a much needed respite from our routine. We chose to stay at an Inn where we had stayed before.  We reserved an upstairs kitchen suite, one with a view of the ocean from our balcony.

The weather had turned unseasonably cold before we left and we worried that we might encounter snow.  One small mountain must be crossed to get from our home in the Willamette Valley to the coastal cities.  We traveled without incident, enjoying a mild and balmy journey. 

To our surprise when we checked in we discovered we’d been assigned the same unit we’d had earlier that summer and we were delighted.  Even though it was the end of November we could pull our drapes back and sit and watch the ocean through our glassed in patio doors. To be able to watch the waves come and go, the breakers rising fearlessly out of the water only to fizzle at the shore and to hear the roar of the Pacific beyond our glassed in retreat was paradise.

Each unit is equipped with a gas fireplace, a television and a small furnished kitchen. When we weren’t enthralled with the ocean, we spent the hours reading, sipping coffee and playing monopoly.  We left the unit once to have dinner, but otherwise we just relaxed and enjoyed our little vacation.

When we awoke the morning of the day we were to return home reality hit home like a baseball through the window.  I rose to make breakfast and when I pulled the drapes I was greeted by two inches of snow on the balcony rail.  The road below us was covered with the white stuff.  For the first time in my life I watched as heavy snow fell on the beach below.  Never before had I witnessed such a sight.  The sun broke out over the ocean and while it illuminated the breakers, the snow continued to fall on the shore.  I felt as if I had been transported to the inside of a snow globe.

We waited until the last moment to leave our cozy suite, hoping the snow would stop and the sun would warm the roads for a safe trip home.  Fortunately, enough traffic had passed over the coastal highway that we were able to travel without incident.  We stopped for gas before heading over the mountain and the worst part was that my husband had to stand in snow over his shoes.

When we arrived home we sighed in relief that we were safe but rejoiced in the fact that we had seen a phenomenon neither of us had ever experienced before—  the beauty of falling snow on a glorious and sunny ocean.  God’s beauty abounds wherever we choose to look.