waves, rainbows and Dads

last weekend at the cabin i had a wonderful time of relaxation, rest and fun
i did a lot of reading and chatting
house planning and thinking

and in between, we went for a few boat rides
my parent's friends were out, and we asked them if they had been to devil's island before
it's this little island a short boat ride from where we normally boat around
it is an awfully sad looking place
it has been overtaken by birds
the island is covered in birds and bird poop
the trees have no leaves
and it looks totally forgotten

it was fairly windy that day
and as we started driving out there the waves were getting choppy
it was fairly noisy due to the wind, the boat motor and the waves
so i sat at the back of the boat, looking over the water and lost in thought
i started to pray for people as they came to my mind
praying for a dear friend of mine who is struggling with a church transition
and the hurt & miscommunication that can come from such a change
i was thinking about our own journey and how good it feels to feel like we've found a new place to settle into - although, over the summer, we don't attend much anywhere.. so it'll feel different once we are there in the fall.

at this point, we reached devil's island and took it all in
we couldn't get as close as we would've liked because the waves were a little too wild
and i have been out there once (with my uncle) when it really started storming, and it wasn't fun! so my dad turned the boat around

as we went through the waves, we were all getting wet
the water was splashing up high against the boat and i started thinking to myself how i likely should be afraid, but i wasn't, because my dad was driving
i trust my dad 150%!
he is wise, and cautious. he has experience and puts everyones needs ahead of his own.
he has shown me over my 26 years why i would be silly not to trust him
at this point, i looked down at the side of the boat and there was the most vivid and bright rainbow in the water, from the way it was spraying, right where i was sitting, there was a perfect rainbow.
i looked around the boat and i couldn't see it anywhere else, just beside me
and i got this shiver, a God moment, or a "kiss" as my mom calls it

it was like i realized all over again the idea of God as father
i have been so blessed to have a dad that has made it so clear for me to understand the love of God as FATHER.
this rainbow to me felt like God saying to me, 'just like you trust your dad in a situation like this, with the waves crashing.. that is how you can trust me in everything!" church transition, grief, stress, storms, every day situations.. anything.

it was a very cool moment for me, and before i knew it, we were back on shore.
i have a great Dad, and a great Father God :)

this is one of my favourite pictures from my wedding day - i had just come back from the hair dresser. i stood with my dad looking over the back yard. we said nothing, but it said everything!