hope and a future

I went out to see the stars tonight.

And Venus.

And the moon.

Standing there, with my feet planted firmly in the crunchy snow that looked like sand which had been blown about by an angry wind, I looked over where the crescent moon hung in the sky, precariously close to Venus' bright light, and then up to where a million stars twinkled in the dark Alaska night, and felt a peace & tranquility I only wish I could accurately portray.  The silence all around cradled me as the diamonds sparkling above made me feel infinitesimally small & unimportant.  Directly in front of me, the tundra stretched out for miles, and to my right, under the moons' stunning display, the Yukon, frozen in her winter sleep, rested.  I stood, awed by the beauty of this land, and prayed.  I thanked God for his grace. For his plan. For the end of my suffering.

And I asked for more. More joy. More freedom. More of what I am currently enjoying.

I wish for all of you, my followers, my family, my friends, the kind of joy I am experiencing everyday.  I wake up each morning excited to greet the day. Anxious to pad downstairs and feed my family.  Ready to accomplish the many tasks that await me.

I am grateful, looking back, for how low I sunk. For how lost I was; how desperate. Because only in the depths of such despair could I be open to this adventure.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, 

"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 

Plans to give you hope and a future." 

-Jeremiah 29:11

Hope and a future indeed.