Thoughtful Thursday -- Seaweed

We have been on vacation this week, thus the lack of posts since last Thursday.  We arrived at Panama City Beach, Florida, last Saturday, and will be enjoying our last day at the beach tomorrow. 

We have really enjoyed the opportunity to get away.  The condo where we are staying is lovely, the weather has been perfect, and the sunsets have been spectacular...

The only down side of the week has been the "June Grass"...thick, slimy seaweed that, according to the locals, usually only shows up in June.  This year, it has made its appearance in the middle of July.  Here's the view off our 18th floor balcony on the day we arrived...

And here's the view a couple of days ago, on a particularly still morning...

You can see that the water is actually very beautiful, and is a lovely aquamarine color when the sun shines on it, but that seaweed has just not given us a break.

We've still had a lot of fun....shopping, eating, walking out on the pier,

and Bethany and her friend even went parasailing...

We even took the obligatory family photo on the beach (although we didn't really coordinate our wardrobe very well)...

So what have I been thoughtful about this week?  Well, I've thought a lot about Hannah, and how it still just doesn't feel right to take a family vacation without her.  I've thought about Heaven, as I've looked at the beauty of God's creation all around me.  I've thought about the future, as Bethany will be starting her junior year in just a few weeks.

And I've thought about the seaweed.  Hannah would have hated the seaweed.  It really hasn't bothered us much....we've gone right into the water just as if it wasn't there.  The other thing she wouldn't have liked are all the schools of little fish we've been seeing (in the clear spots between the seaweed).  She had kind of a funny fear of fish swimming around her like that...and I'm really not sure she would even have gone into the water with all that seaweed...not being able to see what was around her feet and legs.

Hannah actually had a lot of little fears.  Before she was diagnosed with cancer, that is.  After her diagnosis, it seemed as though she was never afraid of anything again.  She faced brain sugery, radiation, chemotherapy, going bald, countless MRIs, and more...all without fear.  One time, when they were lying in bed together at night, Bethany asked Hannah if she was scared that she might die from her cancer.  "No," she replied, with disdain in her voice, as if she couldn't believe Bethany even asked her that question. 

How did she do that?  How did she go from being a world-class worrier to a fearless warrior?  The only answer is her faith in God.  Her belief that her storm was fully under His control removed all fear. 

I'm so thankful for the example my teenage daughter set for me.  And I'm so thankful that my God is powerful enough to change a worrier into a warrior.  If He could do it for her, He can do it for me, and you...and you....and you....and you....