Harvey Travel Arts

Years ago, Brian and I went on the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria. The photo above is the place where many of the exterior shots from the movie were taken. I remember this tour as being one of the happiest bus rides; there's nothing quite like riding a tour bus with the Sound of Music soundtrack playing in the background. The scenery was incredible, too. As fun as the musical and the tour were, there is something more important, and that is the story behind it. No, not the story of just the von Trapps, although their story is important. But the bigger story, that of the times, the War, the political storm in Europe that caused the von Trapps to leave their home and come to the United States. We must never forget history, even the most difficult history. Lessons are there to be learned.

I have been in knots about our move this past week. If you read last Friday's post, you'll see that Brian and I have an incredible opportunity to move back to Heidelberg. (The view from our old flat is seen above.) Something else happened this past week that caused my excitement to wane. There's a volcano in Iceland that I'm not going to try to pronounce or spell at the moment. The ash from this Icelandic volcano shut down airspace over most of Europe for about a week. There is still uncertainty about other volcanoes, and whether or not airspace will be locked out again. Ash is once again in my life. Seven years ago our household goods became ash in a moving fire. Now ash has stopped hundreds of thousands of people in their tracks, all of whom had to wait and travel an unexpected journey. Some have missed weddings, lost jobs, and missed family. At the same time, I was wondering what would happen if the volcano continued erupting until we needed to fly. Things...

Before you read any further, go back to my January 25th blog entitled "Memory Lane." Read it. I had posted a picture of a restaurant in Schwetzingen, a nearby town to Heidelberg where we lived in 2005-2006. Three weeks ago, Brian interviewed for a job. He received a call soon after saying he was selected. Today we received the official offer and we should get the orders next week. You have probably guessed it by now: We are moving back to Germany! His job is in Schwetzingen, but we'll probably seek housing closer to Heidelberg. Talk about answered prayer! The photo above is the palace grounds in Schwetzingen. I cannot believe this amazing timeline! I had no idea when I posted the photo in January that we'd be returning there so soon, or even at all! In Ruth 1:22, Ruth and Naomi reached Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. In chapter 2, she is able to glean behind the harvesters and have an overabundant supply of food to provide for her and ...

Before Easter Sunday, I was posting some random storefront signs from London a year ago. They were all the same store, and I think I promised the Rhino storefront before continuing on to blog about something more substantial. So here it is. Now, this one actually has mannequins clearly visible in it, which is probably a good thing, since the point of all this creative marketing is to get you, the mere window shopper, to come inside and update the wardrobe. However, I generally am not on a safari in Africa; and I'm quite sure that if I were, I would not be wearing silk dresses. As much as I like this from an artistic standpoint, I find myself trying to stay true to my blog and find something redeeming to say about it, so here goes my moral of the day: we shouldn't be too focused on material goods. What we wear, so long as it's modest, isn't all that important. I learned many years ago after losing almost all my earthly posessions in a moving fire that what matters...

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He is Risen! This morning we went to sunrise (Sonrise!) service at our church. It was so beautiful to sing Amazing Grace and to hear a message about the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The morning was full of God's creation; his children, trees, and birds, all singing to praise Him! Thank You, Lord, for your agape love!