CHAPTER 24 . “ON A TRAIN BOUND FOR NOWHERE”, . CONTINUED: . “THE LOST ISLE OF HOT THUNDERBOLTS!”

By admin On March 3rd, 2021

Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names/details/tags/etc.. Most images cropped/reduced in size

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As told in the previous chapter, Becky and I boarded a little “choo-choo train”, taking us from the hustle-bustle of Guatemala City to the east coast, and onward to the tiny, but beautiful tropical country of Belize.

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Our ultimate destination was Tikal and the incredible temples of the ancient and mysterious Mayan civilization.

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But as the title of this and the previous chapter reveal, we were actually riding on “A Train Bound For Nowhere”…

Photo of Guatemalan train courtesy Wikipedia. click for link to photographer – Nils Öberg.

“THUNDER AND LIGHTNING…OH YEAH!”

(“Thunder and Lightning” is a 1972 Chi Coltrane song)

**But little did I know, that this, my “bound for nowhere” experience would be preceded by a strong warning from Heaven!**

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A warning to not wander away from home!

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An ominous threat in the form of, “Thunder and Lightning…Oh Yeah!”

Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

CHAPTER 24 “ON A TRAIN BOUND FOR NOWHERE”,

CONTINUED:

“THE LOST ISLE OF HOT THUNDERBOLTS!”

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Lightning FL courtesy Craig O’neal for wikipedia creative commons license 2.0

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“They kept not the covenant of God,

and refused to walk in His law;

And forgat His works…

Therefore… their days did He consume in vanity,

and their years in trouble…

and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger,

wrath, and indignation, and trouble,

by sending evil angels among them.”

Psalm 78:10, 11, 33, 48, 49

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“MERCY? SORRY, I’M FRESH OUT!”

The next day, after that dark and mysterious night, and running into that darker and even more mysterious stranger, Becky bought two tickets for a commuter boat.

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**I had absolutely no idea where we were going. I was kind-of “in my own little world”. I was preoccupied with the spirit and his incessant talking.**

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The boat was filled with passengers. Maybe 30 people! Maybe 50! (It looked similar to this Wikimedia photo, but possibly about twice the size, or more, with a walking-isle down the middle, with seats on either side of the middle-isle, as I recall).

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Now, the spirit was really coming down on me hard, at this moment! I distinctly remember that this was definitely a Hitler Day! And as I said, I was in my own little world. This was because, on this particular day, the spirit condemned me really heavily that, “You just might have been Hitler in your last life”. The spirit was probably coming on stronger than on any previous day, except maybe for that day back in Antigua, when I was bombarded with noises all day. But once again, he was literally crushing me under the weight of his accusations and con-damnation!

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Photo of Belize commuter-boat courtesy wikipedia & Mrcveliz share-alike license. Click here for link.

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“MERCY’S JUST A LADY WHO LIVES DOWN THE STREET!”

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As the boat cruised across the water, I just couldn’t take his threats and condemnation any longer! It became way too much! Finally, out of sheer desperation, I pleaded for mercy… “God please have mercy!!”, I silently cried out!

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“Oh you want mercy, do you?” said the spirit, pointing me to a rather large Belizean lady passenger, squeezed into this crowded boat, “Well that’s Mercy sitting over there! You see, Chuck, Mercy’s just a lady who lives down the street!”

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But I still kept pleading for mercy (silently of course…in my thoughts). But each time I did, the spirit kept repeatedly pointing me to that same heavy-set middle-aged lady, saying, “Mercy’s just a lady that lives down the street!” Well at the time, I took this to mean that God had no mercy left for the likes of me! You know, just like saying, “Mercy? Sorry, I’m fresh out!”

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But it wouldn’t be till much later, that I would find out what that was all about. I was to eventually meet the real Mercy! And lo and behold…she actually did live just down the street! But I’ll have to tell that story much later.

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Lightning FL courtesy Craig O’neal for wikipedia creative commons license 2.0

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”I SEE EARTHQUAKES & LIGHTNING…

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I HEAR THE VOICE OF RAGE & RUIN!”

(Lyrics from the 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival incredible mega-hit song, “Bad Moon Arising'”)

After some time, the boat landed on an island. I guess they call them “cays” here in Belize. Anyway, about a dozen skinny little jet-black, bare-foot boys, only wearing shorts, come running up to the boat, all fighting to take our luggage. I looked at all the very big wide eyes, staring at us…obviously working for tips! But there are no smiles. They’re all business! Vying for our luggage! A bunch of little right-wing capitalists, no doubt!

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Anyway, we gave the two or three of the “winners” our luggage, and they led us to a motel on this island. It actually was a pretty nice two-story motel in an otherwise primitive looking…uh…jungle island-village, I guess you might call it.

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Our motel room was very well-kept, complete with a great balcony overlooking the beautiful ocean! Actually, nicer than most modest-priced motels back in the States!

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To tell you the truth, under different circumstances, this could be a dream place to hole-up in, for a while!

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Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

Dinosaur lightning – Wikipedia – Photo by Hallie Larsen, National Park Service – Public Domain

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“HOT THUNDERBOLTS”

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But before long it grew dark. And the rain began to fall again.

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But this time it wasn’t just rain, like on the previous night’s train-ride!

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No, this time, the rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning. And not just yer run-of-the-mill flash of lightning, followed by a delayed peal of thunder! No no NOOO! This thunderous lightning-flash is super bad! And super loud!

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”KARRACK!!!” “KABOOM!!!”…

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It sounded directly over our heads! I can’t think back of ever hearing thunder as loud as it thundered that night! Perhaps it was amplified by the sea which surrounded this little cay.

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This went on for much of the evening as I recall. It’s so loud, we have to cover our ears! And even the walls shook, as I recall! And because of the intensity of this lightning and thunder, it really seemed like God was angry with me!

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”KARRACK!!! “KABOOM!!!”

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Okay, okay, I can just hear you (the Reader), thinking to yourself, “This guy is bending everything against himself…now even the thunder and lightning!”

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Alright, alright! I get it! I get it! But let me just say this: if you ever go through such an intense lightning storm, while at the same time, an unseen spirit entity is accusing and condemning you…then you’ll probably understand why I felt the way I did!

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And even listen to Scripture…“Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out Thine arrows, and destroy them…The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of Heaven shall He thunder…” Psalm 144:6 & 1st Samuel 2:10.

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So, see!? I’m not so crazy, after all! As these above verses reveal, thunder and lightning are used in the Bible as pictures of the arrows of God’s wrath upon His enemies! (I’m sure glad I didn’t know about these two verses back there in that motel room!)

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Lightning FL courtesy Craig O’neal for wikipedia creative commons license 2.0

Lightning 1882 – Wikimedia – US public domain commons

Chariot of Orion – copyright of www.signsofheaven.org

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“FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD”…

In the morning, the forgiving sun came out once again, as if the previous night’s storm had never even happened!

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I guess the tropics can be very like that! Because now the ocean was a peaceful and beautiful turquoise blue. The sand was white. The breeze was soft. The air warm.

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It was as if that previous night’s storm was just a bad dream!

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And this tropical place, or island, or whatever… could’ve been used on a “Gilligan’s Island” episode. (Pretty much like this Wikipedia photo!)

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Island photo courtesy wikipedia. click for link.

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“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place”

Proverbs 27:8

And so I decided to go for a walk, to get the lay of the land…to survey the world. The beautiful sunny new morning made me forget the severe warnings which I got from the previous night’s thunder and lightning. And on this very pleasantly warm and seemingly friendly day, it was very easy to simply wander away from home-base…

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But that was my first mistake!

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I should never have wandered off by myself!

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Not knowing where I was going, I found a path, not too far from the light blue sea. And so I began to follow that path. It led into a thick jungle. But where it would take me, I just didn’t know!

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Maybe some adventure!

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Who knows, maybe I’d run into Ginger or Mary Ann (of Gilligan’s Island fame)!

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Yeah…who knows?

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Dawn (Mary Ann) Wells Gilligan’s Island 1964 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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***“DEFINITELY A* *RIGHT-TURN EXTREMIST !”***

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But no sooner than I set foot on my new journey, the spirit began a really odd phenomenon with me!

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At this moment, the spirit began leading me to believe that this little excursion was some kind of quest to find something valuable. A kind of mystery hunt for hidden treasure or something. And for some reason, he made it impossible for me to turn to the left. I simply could not turn left. I could only turn right. As I walked through this very primitive little jungle village (much like this photo), I had to turn right. If I wanted to make a left turn, I soon realized I could only do so by turning right for a three-quarters turn. The problem was, I had to do it inconspicuously, so no one else would notice! Because, there were other people, local villagers, also walking along this pathway!

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Now if I wanted to turn right, this was no problem. But to turn left—that was a different story! So I would kind-of hesitate, as if I was just examining something off in the distance. You know, like a tourist might do. Then I’d turn right a little more. And then a little more. Still pretending to be examining. And finally I would make that three-quarter turn necessary to go left. Ah-ha! I did it! Nobody thought me strange! LOL!

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This jungle was very beautiful, and very overgrown! With just a beaten path to walk along. The residents of this island were walking back and forth, going about their daily business, no doubt. Some more capitalist-right-wingers, I suppose!

“YOU CAN KEEP THE CHANGE!”

Right Turn Extremist

Anyway, the various little huts were interspersed within the thick jungle. I finally found a “Seven/Eleven” quick-Mart. Well not exactly a “Seven/Eleven”. Okay, so it was just a grass hut with one side open with a little counter. But I couldn’t be choosy at this moment! IT WAS THE ONLY STORE IN TOWN!! So I bought what ever it was I bought. Actually just a pack of gum. Why gum? I just wanted to buy something! And after making a rather quick inspection of her inventory, I opted for the gum! 5 or 10 cent gum!

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(EDITOR’S NOTE: This “7-ONCE” drawing to the right does not depict nearly as much foliage as the actual island had. The artist (me) was just too lazy to draw in all the extra trees and bushes!)

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WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE GUM!

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Okay, so 5 or 10 cents for gum! Not a problem, right? Well, there was a problem! You see, this otherwise simple transaction became complicated, when the spirit overwhelmed my mind, insisting that I “show my faith”, by not getting my change! A five dollar bill (about $15.00 or $20.00 in 2020 money, and maybe as much as $50.00 or more in theirs!) For 10 cent gum! With a straight face, the lady accepted the rather large tip.

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But I suppose I was purchasing goodwill from these quaint folk. Probably not! They, no doubt, decided they were dealing with just another idiot or something! Imagine that!!

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But whatever this lady thought of me, one thing was for sure! The gum that I bought from her was the most expensive gum I would ever buy! And she unflinchingly took my money as if she were taking my soul!

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“Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that does it destroys his own soul.” Proverbs 6:30, 31

(This verse seems irrelevant and will not make sense until You read “Part 2” of this e-book, should the Lord graciously permit me to write it)

But then having bought that gum, I proceeded forward on this treasure hunt, or whatever in the world it was! By now I knew better than to trust this unseen being! He was just too changeable to put any confidence in!

Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit – Wikipedia – share-alike license

“YELLOW BRICK ROAD IN REVERSE!”…

And so, after this 2-minute pause, I resumed my quest to find whatever it was I was searching for. Still only making right turns. It kind-of started feeling like I was in that old movie, “The Wizard of Oz” walking along that infamous “Yellow Brick Road”.

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But unlike that brainless Scare-Crow in that old movie classic, I was going backward…away from OZ! Me more brainless!

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**And instead of the road getting larger, the road only got narrower and narrower! Eventually, my right turns became sharper until my path finally came to an abrupt end.**

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This not-so-yellow-brick-road ended and I could go no further!

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Was there a pot of gold here?

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Was this the end of my rainbow?

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Wizard of Oz – wikipedia – US public domain

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“YOU GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO HOLD EM,

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KNOW WHEN TO FOLD EM”…

(Lyrics from the Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler”)

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Well, as I said, I finally came to the end of the path! And was I ever surprised at what I found there! No, there was no OZ! No, there was no Wizard! No, there was no rainbow! And no, there was no pot of gold either!

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So where was this?

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What was this?

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Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

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DESOLATION

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The place I came to, looked like an ancient ruins. It was obvious that some structure had once been here…long ago! But now, only the crumbling foundation-footings remained (somewhat like this photo I found on the net). I sat down on the stone footings, lit a Marlboro, and contemplated what this building might have been at one time. Maybe this was once part of an ancient civilization!

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But now, only the ruins remained, crumbling by reason of the moist, salt-laden air from the surrounding sea!

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Well, whatever it once was, one thing was for sure. It was now long gone! Now only this monument of a broken foundation remained as a reminder of its former days of glory! And even that was mostly destroyed! I felt like all this time I spent getting here was a waste of valuable time! And all these right turns! It was a lose-lose situation! What nonsense! The building was long gone! It was too late! A civilization gone…or destroyed! Too late to revive it!

The cards were all laid out on the table as far as this treasure hunt on this unknown Island!

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As the songster sang, “Ya gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em!”

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**IT LOOKS LIKE THE “DESTROYER” (the mystery man on the train) HAD ALREADY BEEN HERE TOO!**

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I guess this group of people hadn’t been holding up their end of the bargain either!

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You know…their bargain with “the Commander”!

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They hadn’t held up their bargain with the Commander!

Jungle covered ruin (4374410534) wikimedia share-alike license

“KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY,

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KNOW WHEN TO RUN!”…

(Lyrics from the Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler”)

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So after deciding that there was nothing more that I could do here, I knew it was time to walk away, back to home-base. I guess I should never have wandered off, away from home-base! And so I went back to home-base.

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**I could once again turn right or left. Whichever way was more reasonable. That’s the way I once again turned. And hopefully, this strange phenomenon would never ever plague me again!**

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Oh yeah, I lost precious time. And though it all lasted only 20 minutes or more, looking back it seemed like 20 years lost! But I was forever cured of wanting to turn to the right (or even to the left!) The experience taught me a valuable lesson I’ll never forget!

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And the thing that must be remembered is this: even if I could have only made left turns, instead of right turns, I would no doubt have ended up in this very same place! And though this may have once been a great society, now it was just a No-Wheres-Ville, no matter which way you turn!

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Truly, truly, our train ride the previous day was only just a “train bound for nowhere”!

Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

Tourist train at Alto Mire Olga by Nils Oberg – cropped image – wikipedia – share alike license

“But Nothing Can Change The Shape of Things To Come”

(Main lyric from the 1968 song by Max Frost & The Troopers, “Shape of Things To Come”)

So yes, truly this Lost Isle of Thunderbolts experience cured me forever! Yeah, I never ever wanted to turn to the right again! (or even to the left, for that matter!)

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And truly, this little experience turned out to be, “the shape of things to come!”

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Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

Lightning FL courtesy Craig O’neal for wikipedia creative commons license 2.0

“Keep thy heart with all diligence;

for out of it are the issues of life…

Ponder the path of thy feet,

and let all thy ways be established.

Turn not to the right hand

nor to the left:

remove thy foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:23.26, 27

*“TIME ENOUGH FOR COUNTING…WHEN THE DEALING’S DONE”***

(Lyrics from the Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler”)

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity…

One generation passes away, and another generation comes:

…and there was no profit under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 4 & 2:11

Jukebox – Wikimedia – cropped image – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Global license

-Sand castle, Cannon Beach Oregon – Wikipedia – share-alike license. Click here for link.

Signs Of Heaven