**Frozen Little Eskimoes**

This afternoon I had taken my little Eskimoes out for a drive on the Seward Highway. We didn't get too far, just past Bird Point. It was very cold and gray, but God's grace filled our souls with light. The bitter wind made our noses and cheeks fill with redness as we laughed and posed for pictures.

"Just another picture, hold still," I'd say.

At Bird Point I took pictures of my little monsters while a couple shouted with excitement, "There are Beluga Whales out there!"

I ran towards the couple to see what they were seeing. There were Beluga Whales swimming through the Inlet. God's Amazing Creation, so perfect, so close.

The wind kept us chilled as we loaded into the Jeep. I almost went in the direction of home but decided to go on further, just to capture the whales a bit longer.

We stopped at the next pull off and it was so amazing, the whales were so close. They gracefully swam by as their backs peaked out. The white distinction against the gray waters, it was beautiful and exciting.

Because of the cold air and the slime dripping from Abigail's nostrils, we loaded up once again into the Jeep, this time to head home. As I pulled onto the Seward Highway I turned the radio on.

We sat in the car trying to warm up as the car drove us home. At that point I had an overwhelming feeling of God's love pour out on me. He reminded me of the story I read earlier today to Abigail, the Book of Jonah. We had talked about the whale and about Jonah's disobedience to God as he tried to flee from God. As these memories came flooding out, "God with Us" was playing on the radio. Flashes of the Beluga Whales swimming by engulfed my memory. God spoke to me with boldness, all that had occurred to me today was no coincidence. Each and every detail had been in His perfect plan, to remind me that God had not left me. To remind me of His plan, of His love, and His Grace. All this had occurred within minutes and an outburst of emotion came whipping out of me through tears and laughter. Tears of joy with laughter proceeding.

My children sat in silence, not knowing what Mommy was crying about.

For so long I had felt abandoned even though the Word tells me otherwise. With every sense in me, I knew God could never leave His child but the overwhelming feeling of abandonment took over.

He used the Book of Jonah, Beluga Whales, and the song "God with Us", to remind me that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. God in his infinite wisdom, showed me His love on this cold Alaskan day and filled me with joy unspeakable.

(Before writing this I prayed that God would use me to bless others through this experience, for writing is not my strong suit. Forgive me for any grammatical errors.)