One of my favorite things to do when we lived in Atlanta was go for an evening stroll after dinner.  I enjoyed seeing the warm glow of interior lights that revealed the tiniest peek inside each home.  I never quite knew what a home was like on the inside until this time of day – it was like getting a glimpse inside a beautifully wrapped package.  Some homes that looked so alluring during the day had a completely different look at night.  I was almost always surprised with the appearance of a home’s inside compared to what I imagined it to be…

Much like homes, with people things are never quite as they appear from the outside.  We usually see what we want to see or what one projects to us.  We go about our day displaying what I like to call our best “interview personality.”  Smiling, offering pleasantries, and blurting a friendly “hi, how are you?” that solicits the nearly automatic response “great, how are you?”   There’s always more going on behind that “great, how are you…”  This reminds me of the ocean, as there is always so much more going on below the smooth surface.  By the way, this is how I would imagine one of the rooms looking inside of the home pictured above.

In terms of my life, there are times I’ve been sailing along, not quite sure where I would land…but trying my best to keep steady at the helm.  Sometimes my sails are snapped in turbulent winds and all I can do is hang on.  Other times the water is so glassy and smooth that I soak up every possible drop, hoping the waves never return.  And there have been moments where I’ve had to focus so hard on basic navigation that I felt totally lost.

But I always find my way back.  That being said, I must confess that I’ve questioned certain experiences, wondering why in the world I had to weather that particular storm.  Sometimes I even look back and wonder how I ever made it through.  Or wonder how I didn’t  jump overboard (ha ha).  Three things keep me from losing my sight and steering:  my faith, my husband, and our family.  This boat couldn’t float without them.  It would sink like a lead weight.  The beautiful thing about sailing through life is embracing the good, finding the lessons in the bad, and moving on with no regrets.  I work on that daily.

Today I’d like to go beyond the superficial “hi, how are you” with a different kind of question.

QUESTION:  what word or description would you use to describe your seas in life today?  I think today my answer would be “land in site.”