Brave Enough To Be Bliss

drive an hour or so to Mackinac City. It was the ferry I was most uneasy about because I’d never taken one before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But I quickly got dressed and headed out for, yet another unknown destination and I felt very proud of myself for sticking to the day’s plan. The drive was beautiful and there were more trees with red leaves which are my favorite, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I approached the area, there was more than one ferry option but then I remembered the one he had said we would take, so I pulled in there and asked the gentleman at the gate where to park. He was very kind and told me where I could park for free across the street. As I walked back toward him after parking the car, I decided to just tell

him I had no idea what I was doing and see if he could direct me. Again, he was very kind, and it helped significantly to know how things worked. It reminded me of a time 10 years earlier when I had driven three hours away for a funeral of a colleague’s mother but misread the obituary and went to where the visitation had been the night before instead of the cemetery. By the time I got to the cemetery I was too embarrassed about being late, so I just stayed in my car. I hoped to see him walking by after, but he didn’t, and I was too scared to walk up to the crowd. I spent a total of six hours driving and didn’t even get to give him a hug…all because of fear. But not anymore, fear wasn’t going to rob me of another experience. I bought a ticket, followed the people in front of me and boarded the ferry excited to see what it was all about. As we approached the island, I saw the colorful homes and vibrant trees against the bright blue sky. It was truly unlike anything I had seen before. I can’t explain it in words, but everything there seemed more vibrant, more defined. I remember telling Kylee, while it doesn’t make any sense, it was as if every leaf on every tree was visible to me. I had never seen trees or leaves or colors quite like this. The air was crisp and clean, and it was like I was seeing nature, no, I was experiencing nature for the first time in my life. It was new, different, unexpected…and oh so beautiful. On the island no motorized vehicles are allowed. You can ride bicycles or horse drawn carriages, or walk, but those are the only transportation options. The first thing I did was buy a ticket for a carriage tour so I could see everything there was to see. I figured from there, I could decide what to do next. It was about 45 minutes before the next tour group left, so I looked around a few stores to pass the time. The tour was definitely the best way to see and learn a lot about the island. It wasn’t easy to take photos, so I decided after the tour I would get lunch and then walk back to the top so I could get some good photos. I was anxious to share the experience with friends and family who had encouraged me on this adventure, and sharing photos was the only way. These experiences could only be captured in pictures, even my most eloquent words wouldn’t do justice to the beauty I was seeing. I knew when the last ferry was scheduled to leave, so I made sure I was in line for the next to last one just to make sure I got off the island. It was a magical day, and the ferry ride back was just as beautiful. I ended up capturing the best photo of my life on that ride which I’ll share in a future chapter. It had been a great day, and I was so happy, but what happened next wasn’t anything I would have anticipated as I headed back to Lake Charlevoix.

As usual, I started a playlist as I was driving, turned it up loud, and sang along. I selected my “Christian” playlist for this hour-long drive. I was enjoying catching glimpses of the sunset as I rounded corners, and I smiled as I saw the bright red leaves. All seemed well with the world until I headed down this hill. I wasn’t quite sure why I reached for my phone, but it felt like a profound moment as I listened to

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