journeys-page

If you have known me any length of time you have probably heard me say that my roots go deep in central Nebraska. I love this area, the landscapes, the seasonal changes, the corn fields, the smell of freshly mown grass. My list could go on and on. Recent travels have reminded me however that God’s creativity didn’t stop with Nebraska. A friend has talked with me many times about the beauty of the desert in bloom, until recently I had not seen that phenomenon. Who would believe that raw, sandy, rocky earth could create incredible blooming beauty? Some cactus even sprout flowers. I have found beauty in changing landscapes, the desert in bloom is pretty amazing. Even though I can’t name each type of cactus, it feeds my soul to just stop, look around me, breathe in and appreciate! I’m pretty sure I would also greatly enjoy the beauty of a tropical paradise or the view from a mountaintop in the Himalayas. The differences in the landscapes, my appreciation of variety reminds me that God also created huge differences in humans. We look different (unless you have an identical twin or a doppelgänger), we think differently, we have varied interests and knowledge, our voices sound different. But we can live together just as a cactus can live next door to a stalk of corn, (yep, saw beautiful irrigated corn fields across the road from the raw, stark desert). God gave us beauty and variety and then gave us appreciation of all if we simply look around. I still say that my roots go deep here in central Nebraska, but I also can appreciate viewing God’s handiwork in a variety of places, just as I appreciate the differences in the people who surround me. – Deb Brummund