Saturday, September 19, 2009

Honesty Pays


It all began with me stealing a Corning ware baking dish !

Well, OK, it didn't quite begin there. It began with me taking the dish 'on an accident' as my daughter used to say when she was little.

It was only after I realized I had taken it that I would have been guilty of stealing - if I had kept it !
People often think the Old Testament Law was harsh and without mercy but that is not true. God is always righteous in His judgement and He made provision for the fact that people could on occasion sin unknowingly.
The Law stated that if a man sinned unintentionally he was held responsible only after it came to his knowledge and then he had to make restitution. (Lev.4:27,28)

When our recent vacation in Tofino was ending and we were packing up , my daughter asked, "This is your dish,Mom, isn't it?" I glanced up and said yes!
It was only after we got home that I realized mine was in the cupboard and I now had two identical Corningware dishes !

I told my husband what had happened and told him I would call the resort the next day to pay for the dish.
He smiled and said, "Why don't we rather deliver it ?" I stared at him, incredulously .. "Are you serious?" It would be ever so much cheaper to pay for the dish!

He was serious and said we might as well stay one night since it was a 6 hour trip each way. I didn't think we could get accommodations on that short notice and when I checked the internet saw that the resort was indeed fully booked into October.
I browsed through their website for a few minutes looking at their different accommodation options and saw that they had a ground floor, ocean front studio for two. Perfect for one night, I thought.
I called the next morning on the chance that maybe the internet's information was not up to date, but the desk girl informed me that they were solidly booked. I was about to hang up when on impulse I asked if she would call me if they suddenly had a cancellation. She said yes she would be happy to.

I thought... if the Lord wants us to stay He can provide accommodations.

Not five minutes after I hung up, the phone rang.
It was the girl from the resort and she said they had just had a cancellation. I asked, "What suite?" thinking it would probably be the expensive three bedroom villa. But she told me it was the beach front studio for two that I had picked out the night before !
I could not believe my ears ! and of course I reserved it thinking that the Lord must have something special in mind.

He did !

Vic and I had the most amazing two days together, not the least of which was the perfect blue-sky weather and the fact that the ocean gave us the most spectacular water show we had ever seen! I could not resist posting a couple of my favorites to share with you !
Honesty DOES pay.... doing things God's way is NEVER a mistake !!! - even if you are not immediately rewarded as we were this time.
*****
Here are a few randomly selected photos from the three cards-full that we shot while we were there. Having been to Tofino several times before , the weather conditions we experieced are rare.








Early morning shot of the emply bench overlooking the ocean.







A ballerina practicing her moves on the rocks since she and her brother were taken out of school to vacation with their parents at Tofino. (We also saw a bride and groom having their wedding pictures taken on the beach!)









The waves were high and wild, curling then unfurling as they crashed against the rocky shore sending sprays of white pearl droplets into the air! I could have sat and watched all day!




Sunset Point at Pacific Sands Beach Resort in Tofino.

11 comments:

Betty W said...

I had never heard of that place before and checked it out. Looks great and from your pictures I can see it was wonderful! Love that sunset!

Karin said...

Absolutely stunning photos! Definitely a place I'd love to revisit!

Judy said...

Beautiful photos...every one. Now I know why you went back to the same vacation spot in short order. Honesty pays big time!

charlotte mgcc said...

I can hardly believe the beauty of those photos......what a special gift that God gave you!

Lovella ♥ said...

Honesty always pays . .
Your pictures are just beautiful!

The "change" on your header is very nice. . .(smile)

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Spectacular pictures Julie! I understand what you mean about ocean weather often making great pictures rare. You hit the jackpot all the way around: Pleasing God, getting a great room and perfect weather. Yippee!!!

Oh, and I have the same casserole dish. If you come visit, I'll keep a close eye on it as you leave (smile)

If you have a chance, check out my cavern post.

http://jillthinksdifferent.blogspot.com/2009/09/vacation-adventures-saturday.html

I figure we will be swapping vacation adventures via blogdom!

Marg said...

What a beautiful place. I will need to find out the name of that resort. Beach front? I'm in! What a great idea for a reunion for all of us.
Yes, honesty pays off. We've learned that over the years...
That reminds me I need to take back some tea spoons. Maybe I need to go away this weekend.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

This is a wonderful story, Julie! I guess the Lord knew what it would take to get you back there so He could bless you with this special little holiday so soon after your previous one!

The photos are gorgeous. Tofino sounds like Italy to me.

Anonymous said...

"Having been to Tofino several times before , the weather conditions we experienced are rare"

Yes - hi mom! I'm so happy you got to go back to this majestic place and have some clear days .. it really feels almost out-of-the-body when you see Mother Nature unfold in the clarity of this weather. Bravo! Glad you captured some beeaauuutiful snaps :)

James Janzen said...

I miss not being able to hop in the plane and being in tofino in 1.5 hrs. It's one of my favorite places to visit.

Carolanne said...

These photos were superb!!!