“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3
My best friend and I curled up in our warm sleeping bags under the stars. Even as teenagers, we still felt mesmerized watching the shooting stars zoom across the night sky. Every once in a while, we found a satellite in orbit. Oops, but not that one! The pulsing light high above us betrayed the plane for what it was. Minutes later, we heard the faint roar of the engine as the waters of Lake Shasta gently lapped at the shore.
I have so many fond memories of Lake Shasta. It’s one of my favorite places on this earth, a home of my heart. Every summer since before I was born, my family would vacation here on our houseboat (which is basically a floating motorhome) and our ski boat. We could spend months – maybe years – telling stories of all the adventures and mishaps we experienced there, like:
– When my great-uncle woke us up every morning by blasting the sounds of a cattle drive on the stereo proceeded by the William Tell Overture
– When my friend and I accidentally went swimming with a bear cub
– When my big sister stole my string cheese out of my hand to feed a deer
– When my cute little niece fell asleep in her mini inner tube while swimming
– When my dad told me to make faster turns while driving the jet ski; I obeyed, and he fleeeeewwww off the back before falling into the water with a great ker-splash
– When I thought a bald eagle was going to scoop me up right off my wakeboard and have me for lunch – his wingspan was wider than our ski boat
– When my great-uncle celebrated his 80th birthday by waterskiing
– When a bear decided he wanted to come on our houseboat…in the middle of the night…while we were sleeping…and knock our recycling over onto the metal deck so he could play the world’s loudest game of 52 Soda Can Pick-Up
Bear…and deer…and eagles – oh my! The list could go on and on. It’s hard to stop. I even took some out. Believe it or not, I treasure each of these memories in my heart. Every once in a while, my dad would stop the ski boat and tell us to look around at what God had given us to enjoy. And boy, we sure did enjoy it!
“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12
If you haven’t already, how can you go out and appreciate God’s creation this summer? Share in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!
Jessie Chamberlain
Family Radio Staff