Harvey Travel Arts

It's cold out there! Much of the US and parts of Europe are experiencing colder temperatures than usual this winter. Freezing ice and snow in Florida? Snow Christmas Eve in Texas (which of course isn't well prepared for such weather). When Brian and I drove home Christmas, I was worried about the weather on the way down, but I didn't know that the bad stuff wasn't going to hit until we reached Caddo/Royse City area of I-30. We were heading to Hurst, and the normally hour long drive between those points took two nail-biting hours. The snow was minimal, but there are a lot of bridges; in fact, with urban sprawl, the road is almost all bridge. As we drove, it was accident after accident. Blue and red lights everywhere, cars skidded off the side. I have never seen such a succession of fender benders in my life! Fortunately, it looked like most people were okay, just dented up cars. We detoured off the bridges where we could; being native to this area of Texas we...

Let's talk about this tree. From our hallway in St. Lucia, my husband and I could see this majestic creation. The roots have taken hold, deeply plunged into the soil. Over time, water and wind have eroded part of the ground, but the roots remain firm. This tree isn't going anywwhere. As new life springs up around it, the tree remains strong in its resolve. What about you, my friend? Have you planted roots in good soil? Is your life where it should be? When the rain of life comes swooping down, eroding away at your comfortable surroundings, will you remain strong in your convictions? Strong in your faith? Putting faith in Christ will allow your roots to take hold. Those roots will grow stronger as you develop a relationship with Him. Troubles are still approaching. Why not take the first step to keep yourself from falling?

Rain happens in beautiful places. Just let that statement sit in the air, while you think about the lush grass and colorful flora. The rain that trickles down from the sky, even in the hottest of climates, cools the air just a bit. Brings a new freshness to the grass. Makes beautiful landscapes like the one above. If rain creates all that beauty, then why do we complain about it? Sure, it slows us down on the roads. But we're probably traveling too fast to begin with. What about the rain in our lives? The difficult times that we experience, where things aren't as cheery as they could be? Think about it. Perhaps the challenges we face are there to make us grow. We can, with God's help, overcome the rain in our lives. We can live another day to see the beauty He has created.

On a recent trip to St. Lucia, Brian and I arrived to the usual warm welcome from the Sandals staff. This welcome included two t-shirts, cookies, coupons, and all the information we needed for our stay. We were glad to be there. The day long trip took us through three airports and a car ride. The car ride is the most telling part of the trip. You see the world as the locals see it; from the large banana trees shrouded in blue netting to the cars left by the side of the road. Once on the resort, it looks something like the picture below. This picture was taken the morning after our arrival. Sometimes it rains. We didn't mind. It kept the temperatures in the 80s, which was just perfect. Not too hot so that our energy was taken out of us, but warm enough to enjoy the pool, sand, and fresh air. This is the view we had from our balcony. We really were spoiled with the upgrades. If you travel to Sandals, I recommend signing up with their Signature Guest Program. It's...