Snorkeling

     Blah winter days like today remind me why I'm not a big fan of the Midwest.  I was also thinking of how much more I love the warm tropical climates, and specifically: the snorkeling I've done in many of those places.  I've been blessed to have been able to snorkel in Hanuma Bay (Hawaii), Puerto Rico, numerous locations in Mexico, and John Pennekamp State Park in the Florida Keys.  The big thing I love about snorkeling is that it opens up an entirely different world than I typically see.  I can see vibrant colored and bizarre looking fish, sting rays, starfish, and turtles- that get to live in such beautiful coral reefs.
     I got to thinking just how grateful I should be for the beautiful things God has created!  Each and every one of those ocean creatures is patterned and designed uniquely.  We are too!  That means that God loves each and every one of us enough to create us with our own quirks and passions.  That is something I often take for granted, just assuming that either I'm like everyone else or-- although I'm ashamed to admit it-- I'm the only one that he put so much thought into.  Nope, he did that for every one of the seven billion people on this earth (and all the animals!)  How amazing is that!?