Carson Village, Birmingham, Alabama
Now Israel (aka Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. ~ Genesis 37:3-4 Jacob has done nothing to quell the jealousy that’s running rampant in his family. In fact, he’s not only instigated it, he’s continually making things worse by openly playing favorites. It was obvious to all that he loved Joseph more than the rest – probably for years. Most likely, the gift of the robe was an indication that Jacob was intending to pass the firstborn heritage on to Joseph, despite the fact that ten other sons were ahead of him in line. And the fact that his older brothers felt Joseph was a tattletale didn’t help matters either. Joseph most likely felt it was just for him to report to his father so his brothers could be instructed to do better, but keep in mind that his brothers range in age from 18-24, so they’re not mere children. When was the last time you resented someone for “ratting you out”? Was it a sibling? A co-worker? If you do what’s right, there is no reason to be resentful, for they will have nothing to report. When was the last time you felt unease around your superior whether they’re within your family, your church family, your workplace? Where does the unease come from? If we do what’s right, there is no need to feel uneasy around them. If we do what’s right, we can carry ourselves with confidence. Also, keep in mind that there are four significant factors that happen during Joseph’s 17th year – the mention of his brothers hating him, receiving the coat, having two prophetic dreams, and being sold into slavery.
Another long driving day, but at least it was less than half the distance from home to Alabama in the Jeep! And being in the motorhome, I have plenty of wiggle room today. 😊
And so we packed up a bit earlier this morning, anticipating the storms the weather radar was promising us, and headed out for our 261 mile, 5 ½ hour drive. We got wet. Sometimes a lot wet. But other than the rain, the drive wasn’t too difficult for Blaine.
Until we got close to our destination. I don’t know where all the cars came from, they just sorta magically appeared!
This is where we found traffic! 
A crazy amount of traffic!
Grayton Beach State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
We’re here! 
We’ve stayed at this place before. Last year, infact. It’s one of Blaine’s favorites, so we’ll be here for the next two weeks. I like it too, but not as much as he does. 😊 Good thing, because it’s supposed to be rainy for the first few days. ☹
At least we were able to get out to the beach after our early dinner. The sun sets here about 4:50pm, so it was kinda dark as we strolled by the crashing waves, but it was still captivating. Even in the impending darkness, you could see the Caribbean green cast to the water.
