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Anne Lamott wrote a poignant book about blessing whatever comes into your life…good, bad, indifferent. Because it has all come for a purpose, even if that purpose is merely to thank God it isn’t worse. Being grateful in spite of the messiness of life is truly a gift you can give yourself…and others. When you shout “Hallelujah Anyway”, you demonstrate gratitude, forbearance, and joy to those who may look to you for guidance. I love that! I’m going to remember to say “Hallelujah Anyway” when things don’t always go smoothly. I certainly didn’t need to shout it yesterday because I could not have possibly experienced a more beautiful day than I did my first day in Daytona Beach!

I had a lovely sleep-in then fixed my coffee and sat outside watching the waves not 100 steps away. As I counted my blessings, I added a huge thank you to the friend who made this trip happen and the friend that loaned this stunning condo. I changed and went to the beach for a couple of hours. Even though the temperature was up in the eighties, the breeze coming in off the ocean was divine. I went for a long walk down the beach and back. As I was walking under the pier, I was thinking about Ms. Lamott’s book and all the times I’ve been challenged in the last four years and I still managed to say “Hallelujah Anyway!” Just then, I looked down and this penny was right in front of me. Delight surged through me as I picked it up. Well, Hallelujah Anyway!

I came in to clean up and head out for lunch. I ate in a seafood place called Down Under and I’m afraid I was “underwhelmed”. The first couple of hush puppies were wonderful, but the refill was doughy. The cole slaw was marginal. The fries were good, but who needs fries, right? The crab cakes were terribly disappointing. Doughy, undercooked, beige disks that were truly sad. But, lesson learned. Don’t eat at a place under a bridge, right? Oy!

After lunch, I headed to Target to pick up a few groceries. I love Target…much better than Walmart. Clean, well stocked, friendly staff, and a Starbucks…what’s not to love? Afterward, I stopped at the Daytona Speedway and poked around. That place is HUGE. There were the remnants of an RV show in the parking lot so that was fun.

Once the groceries were put away back at the condo, I curled up for a nap to catch up from the long drive. When I got up, I fixed a tray of carrots with French Onion dip, grapes, raspberries, hummus with pretzel chips, hard boiled eggs and dealcoholized Merlot and carried it out to the deck. Just as I finished, the sky opened up and I was presented with a lovely chorus of lightning and thunder! Oh my….this was just the perfect ending to a perfect day. As I write this, I’m curled up in bed in the master suite with the door flung wide, catching the cool sea breeze and listening to the rush of water…both from the rain and the ocean. The sound of tires on wet pavement marks the adventurous souls out in spite of the weather. I can just hear them as they creep along, the rain making it difficult to see the road, their vacation plans only slightly ruffled by a late spring thunderstorm as they mutter, “Hallelujah Anyway! Look where I am!!!” ❤️

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬