The school my husband teaches at took the kids to a water park today.  Several of the staff families, Aspen and myself included, tagged along for the fun.  The water park was located at a resort, half of it was inside, the other half outside.  It had the usual assortment of slides, several hot tubs, a wave pool, lazy river and even a boogie board pool.  Despite all the options for entertainment I couldn’t help but wish we were at the beach!  Fresh air vs chlorine laden oxygen molecules.  Soft squishy sand underfoot vs hard cement.  Open space vs tall fences.  The sound of voices dulled by the wind and waves vs the ear-piercing screech of the life-guards whistle.  The option to wade in as deep or shallow as I please vs suddenly having cold water dumped on my head as I float around the lazy river or walk between water slides. 

Today made me realize how much I appreciate the “real thing” rather than an imitation no matter how attention grabbing and well put together it may be.  It made me realize how much I appreciate the realness God has to offer vs the imitation the world offers.