Mallory, Marissa, and Perfect Peace

Perfect peace. It's a calmness and understanding that can only be experienced by completely surrendering your situation to God. I experienced it the day they performed the life-saving operation that freed my daughter Marissa from a brain tumor that was supposedly inoperable. Now, almost ten years later, I witnessed not only God give it to a mother who just lost her daughter and needed comfort, but also God using her loss to give peace to to a young girl hurting emotionally.

Marissa is much like me in many ways. She has lots of acquaintances, but only a handful of people she considers real friends. Trust issues tend to get in way due to experiences I won't go into here. But the few people she lets in, she loves and she loves genuinely and deeply. Mallory Garmon was one of those people. She was the type of true friend Marissa treasured, respected and cherished, completely genuine in her love for her friends. This past Sunday, God took this angel home to live in a place far better than Earth.

Mallory's visitation brought hundreds, maybe even more than 1,000 people. It would be hard to estimate, but the love of this young lady by our community was clearly evident. I told Marissa I'm not sure if I would have the strength of her mother to stand there and greet so many people when my heart was completely broken and my life devastated, but she did it with a smile and a peace that only could come through God.  The thing is, we were supposed to be there for her and her family, but the comforting words she gave Marissa about how much Mallory loved her and how God was already working through her death were so powerful that Marissa cried openly right there in the sanctuary. Those words of comforting assurance could only come from the work of a mighty God working through a devastating situation.

To see God's love, all you had to do was look in this beautiful young lady's smiling face. I think there are just some people like Mallory who are so pure of heart that God spares them this life and takes them to live with him in his kingdom while bringing others to him. May God continue to surround this family with his perfect peace while he embraces them in his comforting arms. Mallory had an deep personal impact on so many people in the community, including my own tenderhearted daughter.

Panama City

There is nothing quite as relaxing as a week on the beach with the family. Panama City was the destination for our September getaway this year..  I have to confess I haven't been to PC in a number of years, more than I care to reveal.

Although economic development is my choice of profession, I was taken aback by the incredible growth of the area I so treasured as my childhood vacation spot. Gone were the treasured places that excited me as a little girl such as Miracle Strip and the Long Beach Amusement Park. I did marvel to see that the original Goofy Golf is still intact.

I probably wouldn't have even known where on the strip I was if it hadn't been for the Fountainblue Hotel and the Observation Tower as well as Gulf World. I was saddened that in many spots I could no longer see the sugar-white sand of the beaches- just condo after condo blocking the view.

Since it had been so long since my last visit, I relied on one of my favorite sites to discover what restaurants were the best. Tripadvisor.com rarely lets me down with their reviews written by real travelers.  Mark, Marissa and I were craving fresh seafood, so we made a trip to the restaurant rated by locals as number one out of 313 in the area: Hunt's Seafood. It did not disappoint.  We mustered up the courage to order a dozen raw oysters. They were plump, fresh and delicious. Mark ordered a blackened seafood platter. I am not a big fan of scallops, but these scallops were the best I've ever tasted.  The snow crab legs I ordered were large, fresh and had a succulent flavor I've never experienced in a piece of shellfish before. They were so good that Marissa and I went back the next day and I ordered them again. The coleslaw was perfect, with not too much mayonnaise and chunks of fresh pineapple. Marissa had a shrimp scampi dish that was buttery and delectable.. If God had a seafood restaurant, Hunt's would be his restaurant and this would be his signature dish.

We were also looking for a good breakfast spot, so we tried Andy's Flour Power the next morning. This restaurant had the number two rating in the PC area and has received rave reviews in both Food & Wine and Southern Living magazines. I had the dish that received the highest reviews, their French toast. It was nothing like one would expect of french toast, but was the best breakfast I've ever experienced and nothing short of spectacular. Made with freshly baked french bread, it was not overly sugary or sweet, but dashed with just the right amount of cinammon and topped with fresh strawberries.  This dish is so delicious that the syrup that accompanies just gets in the way of the flavor.

We decided to drive back through Elba and pay a surprise visit to my dad once we figured out how to get there by way of back roads. . He seemed thrilled with the impromptu visit.

We stayed at Marriott's Legends Edge and I must say it is deserving of its five-star rating. The beds were big and comfortable and the condo was large and well-appointed. They had a full schedule of activities, which is the number priority for my daughter Marissa. I have a feeling it won't be long until we return for another visit!