Some Things Never Change…

My husband and I traveled 5 hours from home to northern Minnesota, an area of charming old-time resorts, kitschy shops, and rustic cafes that serve local favorites like walleye, wild rice soup, hot dish, and many kinds of pie. (Raspberry rhubarb crunch anyone?) We try to make it up there once a year, sometimes in spring, sometimes in summer, and most often in autumn when colorful leaves add to the beauty of the North Shore.

Cascade State Park and masked voyageur near Two Harbors, MN

But this was the first time we’d been there during a pandemic. It was easy while in “vacation mode” to forget for brief pockets of time that anything was wrong or different. But then reminders jerked us back to our present reality. Shuttered shops still not open for business, closed restaurants (some permanently, some offering only take out) and signs reminding visitors to stay out if not feeling well and to observe social distancing measures, which, thankfully, is fairly easy to do in our state’s many open spaces.

Hubby mourning the loss of a favorite eatery in Grand Marais

But some things—the more important things—were the same as ever: Beautiful, seemingly endless Lake Superior with its steady waves lapping the rocky shoreline, miles of unspoiled trails through woods aromatic with conifers, and lovely little wildflowers gently waving in the breeze as if to say hello.

Lake Superior shoreline: view from our cabin



Wildflowers: can anyone identify them?

Sitting on the deck of the simple little cabin we stayed in, a cup of coffee beside me, warm blanket and a good book on my lap, and gazing out at the serene water, I was reminded of another who does not change.

While the world around us seems unstable and unreliable, God never changes. He is there. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am so grateful.

While we are in this strange sometimes scary time, and we can’t do everything or see everyone we want, what’s most important is still within reach: A God who knows us personally, who loves us as we are, who is listening and acting, though we don’t always understand His ways.

A timely reminder we can all be thankful for.