The View From Here

pemI was reading over some of the past blog entries from Priscilla, and this one in particular really blessed me…so I’m reprising it from November 2009. Love the message!br/em/p
pemRachel Anne/em/p
pembr/em/p
pI woke up this morning to a different view.brbrYou see, for the
past week I’ve had a glorious vacation. Jerry and I celebrated our 10th
anniversary by taking a trip with a few friends. Our room was right on
the beach. The comfy bed, in the spacious accommodations, faced a wall
of floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased an explosion of beauty each
day. Early in the morning, the sun rose over the clear greenish-blue
waters of the ocean.  Each evening, I’d stare out of those windows and
watch the sun kiss the day goodbye as it left orange footprints dancing
on the still waters. As far as I could see, the ocean spanned out for
miles around, spotted only with coral and the occasional passing boat.
For five days and nights I took in the grandeur of this breathtaking
view, breathed in the sweet ocean air and rested in the peaceful
serenity. This was something to behold; a view hard to beat./p
p style=”text-align: center;”img src=”http://www.goingbeyond.com/sites/default/files/blog/IMG_1347.jpg” height=”480″ width=”640″/p
pbrbrI got back home last night. It was a long day of travel and
we were exhausted upon arrival.  We dragged ourselves into the house,
pulling our carry on luggage, and tumbled into bed. When I awoke this
morning, it took me a moment to get my bearings. I rolled over in bed
and for just a quick second expected to see the rolling waves of the
ocean, the white sandy beaches overrun with seashells and tiny hermit
crabs. When I opened my eyes, I was looking for those floor-to-ceiling
windows that had given me the view of lifetime for the past few days.
But my eyes fell upon a different view.brbrIt’s the view from here./p
p style=”text-align: center;”img src=”http://www.goingbeyond.com/sites/default/files/blog/IMG_1352.jpg” height=”480″ width=”640″/p
pbrMy undressed bedroom windows; streamlined, boxy and without the
architectural detail of the room I’d been in, they didn’t look out on
the majesty of the roaring waters of the Caribbean Sea. I opened my eyes
and took in a view of trees and fallen leaves.brbrA backyard of unkempt landscaping and scattered toys.brbrA swingset filled with cobwebs, surrounded by branches that need to be picked up./p
pemIs that the cup my son was drinking out of last week under the slide?/embrbrAhhh. Now it’s all coming into focus. I’m home, and this view reminds me of that for sure. And that’s when it happened.brbrA
smile surprised me. It crept its way from my heart to the corners of my
lips. My soul felt warm and at peace. My shoulders relaxed and I felt
joy rising. I’m home, and this is the view that reminds me that my
family is here. That there are memories we’ve made and more yet to be
created.brbrThe ocean is beautiful, but the view from emhere/em is where my heart is. This is home. This is the most beautiful view of all.br bremDying to know what’s beautiful in your life today,/embrbrPriscilla/p
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