Strawberry Dreams

The summer after I graduated from high school was a busy one! I volunteered as a counselor for our local church camp and spent the whole summer having fun, never feeling clean, and picking strawberries.

The sandy beach that surrounds most of the camp is the perfect spot to find teeny-tiny strawberries, ready for picking. The downside of course to picking berries at Echo Ranch Bible Camp is that it is located far, far away from Blueberry Barn, and has camps going every week during the summer.

Quinn and I would need to find a different spot for our berry picking adventures...

One early Sunday morning not long ago I opened my Facebook page to see a huge bowl of freshly picked berries! It seemed that my Aunt and Uncle had been quiet busy picking strawberries, so at church that morning I asked the two of them where they had gone, and if they could recommend a spot for me. Well, my-oh-my! They got so quite! They looked at each other and my Uncle Delt said, "I'm sorry Emily, but all of our places are secret." But my dear Aunt Freddie was not about to let her sweet niece go home without even getting a hint as to where these strawberry fields they apparently kept hidden were, so she nudged her husband and answered "Oh! Tell Emily one of the spots, she's not going to ruin anything for us!"

So I'm terribly sorry, but I am sworn to secrecy now. I can't tell you actually where these strawberries were picked, but I can assure you there were still plenty to go around when we left.

The hard part about picking strawberries is that the leaves of the plant can have bright red spots on them, making you think you have seen a berry when in reality it's just a leaf. In the photo above there are several nice strawberries, but those silly red leaves ALSO look like strawberries from far off. Tricky plants! The strawberries that grow here in Juneau are also quite small, and I've never found one that's even as close to as big as the ones you find in the store. However, I can say with confidence that wild grown strawberries are just as sweet if not sweeter than those found on the grocery store shelves.

A little bouquet of reds, greens, and whites. 

Yes, I am already thinking about Christmas, isn't everyone? 

Not long after we started we found ourselves with four little jars of strawberries - they didn't last long! And that night when I closed my eyes, I saw bright red strawberries in front of me. I had picked berries for so long that my brain continued to search for them, even when I was ready for sleep! 

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After we were finished picking berries we hopped back in our car and drove to Eagle Beach, a favorite spot 'out the road' for picnickers and campers. 

Greta loved running around in the sand and digging holes in random places. Wide, open beaches are her most favorite place to romp and play - and I can't blame her!

It was low tide as we traversed the beach, but at high tide most of what you see in these pictures is under water - creating a totally different view from the road that passes along the side of it.

Thinking of the ocean that laid seemingly so far away from the sand where we stood, and knowing that in a matter of hours it would be covering the spot made me think of the story of Peter, walking out to Jesus on the waves of a storm. How often have I had faith in my Lord one moment and then had fear and worry the next?

When I was away from home for many months earlier this year, I was heartbroken to know that my family - who had moved - would not be in Juneau to greet me on my return. A song that kept me positive was the following, sung by my own church, by members of my own family. It helped me to remember that God has a plan for my life, all I have to do is trust in Him and keep my eyes above the waves.

"The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. 

Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before God our Maker."

Psalm 95:5-6