open gates and opportunities...

Let me start out by saying that this blog may be a little random. I have had this idea for a while, but I wasn't sure how I was going to tie it all together so people would understand my thoughts. Well, I think I figured it out while walking to the Pier this (late) morning to have coffee. Here are a few pictures of the pier and the tea & scone place:

coffee and homemade cherry scone...

the pier today...not sunny
...still beautiful

I was meeting a friend, Rachel (and contrary to belief, my parents do no pay her to be my friend), down at the pier for coffee. It is about a 15 or 20 minute walk from where I live. I didn't bring my Ipod so I was just thinking while walking. I was thinking about life and where I was and how incredibly amazing it is to be here. I am in Wales. Remember one of my first blogs? I talked about the ahh moments back home, I am going. Well, now that I am here I still have those ahh moments. Any-who, the walk down to the pier is nothing out of the ordinary. It is a hilly walk, just like everywhere else in Bangor, and today it was misting, another usual occurrence in Bangor. I was looking around and trying to soak in everything that I was seeing.

The one thing that I saw the most were colorful gates leading to different paths and houses. I am not sure why, but I was fascinated by these gates and the form of them. They were beautiful. They went along with the houses that they were in front of. The red gate went in front of the red door. 

red gate...red door...

I don't know why these gates fascinated me so much. But they did. I absolutely loved them. My flatmate David laughed at me when I said that I was going to devote a whole blog to these gates, but I don't care. They are reem (a slang word for awesome in Wales.) I love how there are so many just on the walk down to the pier, and I love how they come in all different colors, shapes, and sizes.

black...

green...

brown...

I think it is so cool that man can create hundreds of different gates in just one city. I think it is even cooler that God can create billions of different people individual in their own ways. God is the ultimate welder/carpenter/designer. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them," Genesis 1:27. Incredible. 

not sure what that says in Welsh...sorry. 

gate to the amazing Roman Camp...
(blog to come.)

one of my favorites...

Another thing that goes along with these gates are opportunities. Behind each of these gates is a life, a family, a path. Individual and unique in it's own way. Some of these gates lead to wide open areas or into paths in the trees, while others lead to narrow paths. Again, all of them are unique. To me these gates are a perfect picture of my life. Each gate opens and each gate leads to specific opportunities. God has allowed me to do so much in my short twenty years on this earth. I have traveled many places, seen and accomplished a lot. I didn't achieve all of these things on my own. Without my parents and heavenly Father none of this would be possible. 

As I see it, the gates and paths here in Bangor are all ones that God has planned out for me. A wonderful opportunity is set out before me to be here and go through those gates, climb up those mountains, and walk down those paths. I still have 3 and a half months here, and so many gates to walk through...

behind this gate is more of the Bangor...

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." -Matthew 7:7


Thanks for reading about my gates --- now, go out, find your own gates...I am sure that there are plenty out there just waiting for you to open them...


~Blair