
My first Costa Rican sunrise. I didn't know my tired body could move that fast to jump out of bed and snap this selfie.
I wonder if God saw the sunrise this morning that I had traveled so far to see.
After hours in a plane seemingly floating through a sea of clouds and then endless hours winding my way through jungle roads, I awoke this morning to a sunrise unlike anything I had seen before. Perched relatively high above the jungle floor in a little home with a glass wall view, I opened my eyes in the morning to a view that brought tears to my eyes.
The thought occurred to me, "God, I wonder if you see this magnificent sunrise?"
Yesterday, as we drove into our little jungle retreat late, after so many hours of travel, thoughts had crossed my mind, questioning if all that travel time was worth it? Were there not things close at hand after touchdown of our plane, that I might have enjoyed just as well without curving my way through the jungle, being saved only by the Dramamine I had taken earlier. I had even briefly thought that my children, who had meticulously planned my journey to Costa Rica, might be trying too hard to give this old woman an experience that I would never forget. These thoughts and others floated through my head as I laid my exhausted and barely moveable body down to sleep. Not even the adorable and beautiful home I was going to stay at after a long day of travel moved me enough to stave off the thoughts that perhaps I had bitten off more than I could chew at my age.
We had arrived at night, perhaps not too far into the night, as it goes dark at 5 p.m. here in Costa Rica, but with the darkness surrounding me all I wanted was to lay down and sleep the entirety of the night and all of the next day, thinking that then some semblance of life might be restored to my aching body again.
I had not known that at 5 a.m. I would wake up to a breathtaking view that would leave me wondering if God had seen it. He must have smiled at me if he did. He must have wanted to see my face as He presented me with such a gift.

With the sky ablaze -- it was mesmerizing. I felt like only God could have created such a picture
No journey could have been too long to have beheld such a thing as the sunrise before me – It's colorful golden and orange hues reminded me a little like a sunset back home. It was spread out in the sky, hanging above the jungle treetops as if too say to me, "where have you been, I've waited for you."
Such a site had waited for me all these years, I had only needed to make the journey necessary to see it.
After the sunrise had dissipated, a little hummingbird flew in front of the large wall of windows and the sky changed to one of hovering rain clouds. Light would escape here and there on occasion with the shifting of the clouds. The panorama before me continued to enthrall me and let me know – the long journey I had made was nothing in comparison to what had awaited me after making the journey.
There are always little analogies we can take from our experiences that can teach us further life lessons that enable us to see our lives clearer and give us the strength and desire to take a journey through life that demands a bit of being uncomfortable and a bit of exhaustion to arrive at a place that will stun us with its vistas and enlarge and uplift us with the wonder, wondering if God sees it too? Does God know how happy we are with His gift to us? What really does He have prepared for us if only we take the journey?
And there it was for me, the answer, as my eyes continued to watch the sky – the rain clouds that were only permitting snatches of light to escape, suddenly parted a little allowing for light to burst through.

After emerging from the colorful display in the sky and the threatening rain clouds -- the sun made its appearance -- well prepared to reign over another humid and hot day in Costa Rica.
More light, more enlightenment. After a long and difficult journey, God has more for us – to illuminate us, fill us, and expand our vision with possibilities and knowledge.
This experience, changing me in some way, made it worth it – the journey. This journey is hard and pulls me out of my comfort zone and asks things of my body and spirit that are difficult when I've been satisfied and content with the normal flows in life. This journey is teaching me that the long difficult "asks" of us that God makes, prepares us for the spectacular "finds" in life.
Awakening oneself to a mind-altering sunrise only comes after you’ve traveled the road required to get to it.
Janice, you are SO gifted! You paint the most beautiful stories and I’m so grateful for your vulnerability that you are showing the world. You are truly making the world a better and more beautiful place.
Absolutely beautiful! You write from the soul, dear friend. Please keep me on your list. ❤️ I'm so glad you've been given the chance to see Costa Rica. You'll remember only the beauty in years to come.
Janice, you amaze me with your writing. I get notifications in my email that you wrote a new post and I can hardly wait to open it. You are gifted and I love the way you make me think deeper. I can’t wait for your next post!