Today’s guest post is by my longtime friend, Beverly Hope.

A number of years ago, Beverly sent me copies of the inspirational pieces she wrote for her hometown newspaper. I am thankful she shared her writing with me.  Today, I share her writing with you.

~~~~~~~

Beneath the Canopy by Beverly Hope

On a recent business trip with my husband to south Louisiana, we pulled off busy Interstate 10 in Grosse Tete, a village in Iberville Parish, for a much needed respite at the most beautiful and unique rest stop I have seen so far in our frequent travels.

Pulling into the parking lot, it was as if we had been transported back in time.   For sitting there peacefully beside a lazy bayou was a detailed reproduction of a modest yet imposing 1800s raised Acadian cottage complete with white columned porches. Even more impressive were the massive 295-year-old live oak trees surrounding it. Stepping out of our pickup truck, we were completely dwarfed beneath their towering canopy, and l found myself wondering if this is how the world seems to a tiny ant scurrying through a forest of toadstools.

An overwhelming feeling of serenity washed over me as I stood there gazing upward, and the stresses of two days travel quickly vanished. It was like coming home.

The Bible tells us that God “…sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.”   Isaiah 40:22 (NIV)