Long Island

I have done some renovating and renamed my blog.  What I always hoped this blog would be is something positive, something where the usual daily complaints could take a back seat, a place where I could find the best of something, whether I enjoyed that thing or not.  I hope the new name conveys that vibe.

The photo-header was taken during an early morning walk on Long Island in the Whitsundays in Queensland.  We holidayed there several years ago, a much needed break from our hectic lives.  We had a blissful few days exploring the island, lazing by the pool between stints at the buffet, and basically doing as little as possible until we were advised to evacuate ahead of a tropical cyclone.  The next three days, thanks to bad advice, were a nightmare.

It’s hard for me to look back on that holiday and remember the great stuff, the positive, because by the time we got home I was more stressed than when we left.  I was so relieved when our plane touched down in Melbourne I nearly cried.  Yet if I choose to, I can remember many wonderful things: Wallabies feeding right outside our room at dusk, watching a sea turtle swim under the jetty, bats taking flight in the evening, singing karaoke with my daughter (oh, the joy of knowing you’ll never see those people again), an awesome massage, morning strolls along the beach and many more great memories.  As the daughter of an infernal, er, I mean, eternal optimist, I know that good can always be discovered hiding behind the bad.

My favourite memory of our holiday on Long Island:  Reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan outside our room as we waited for the kids to fall asleep each night.  Zombie novels and tropical islands might seem an odd mix, but have you ever heard a coconut fall off a tree in the dark beyond the porch light?

The Unconsecrated are never alone.  You are...