During the first two weeks of August, my wife, daughter, and I went on an Alaskan cruise. It was a trip that we had talked about for many years. We booked the trip almost a year in advance. It seemed like it would never get here! Then, in what seemed like a few moments, it came, and just as quickly, it was gone. How fast time flies by!

It was wonderful seeing the beauty of God’s creation in nature. We saw whales, moose, bears, foxes, coyotes, hawks, eagles, ravens, ducks, geese, and salmon, all while not minimizing the beauty of cloud-covered hills, snow-touched mountains, glaciers, ocean, rivers and streams. We met new friends, exchanging addresses and phone numbers.

There was so much to take in, in such a short time, like taking a drink from a firehose.

After we returned and had the chance to rest for a while, we have felt a sense of peace in reflecting, once again, on how loving God is to share in His beauty in nature and with all those we meet.

Yet, as I thought about it, we can see God’s presence where we live as well with the trees, flowers, clouds in the sky, changing seasons and the gift of seeing Jesus in disguise in each person we meet.

I find myself thinking: Look Tom, you can also see God here and there, not just on vacation. Do not be blind to the gift that is always in front of you.

We are being loved to heaven in ways that we sometimes forget to see. How blessed we are!

By: Deacon Tom Gryzbek