The cache is not at the published coordinates. If you
don't feel adventurous, you can check your answers for this puzzle
on
Geochecker.com.
Blessings
All peoples, cultures and
faiths carry with them an understanding of what blessings are, and
the Judeo-Christian tradition takes a back seat to no one in this
respect. From cover to cover, the Bible is replete with examples of
blessings being sought, received or given, and many of these relate
directly to Geocaching. Recall that, when Isaac was old, and his
eyesight and hearing were failing him, he was called on to give his
blessing to his firstborn son Esau. Esau's twin, yet younger
brother Jacob wanted this blessing very much ... and he tricked his
father into giving it to him! When Esau learned of this, the Bible
tells us:
"Esau urged his father,
"Have you only that one blessing, father? Bless me too!" Isaac,
however, made no reply; and Esau wept
aloud."
Now, you might say "what a
crybaby!" ... But Esau had good reason to be upset. You see, Isaac
could only give this blessing once! So the Father's blessing is
like a First to Find!! Each cache can only have
one.
While some blessings, like
the Father's blessing for the Son, are specifically given to one
person, other blessings can fall upon an entire community. Just as
our Geocaching community is blessed when the King sacrifices his
time, talent and treasure by hiding a bunch of caches before an
event, the Bible tells us that wise King Solomon was so filled with
zeal for God's blessings to fall upon his people, that he built and
dedicated a temple to the Lord. But this alone wasn't enough to
move the Almighty to bless all of Israel, something more was
necessary.
"The king and all Israel
with him offered sacrifices before the
LORD."
Now in the case of Solomon,
this sacrifice involved peace offerings in thanksgiving, to the
tune of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep! Clearly, Solomon set the bar
kinda high. We are, by no means, expected to offer sacrifice of
such magnitude in order to procure the blessing of a successful
afternoon Geocaching. A kind word to a neighbor may be all that is
required. A helping hand to someone in need. Alms for the poor ...
Or, perhaps simply the resolution to walk a mile down a levee road
without complaining (FYI bring a pen and some
tweezers).
So, what we have learned is
that blessings are desired by people of all faiths and walks
of life, and everyone looks forward to that great day when
blessings are showered down upon us! As it is written in the
Quran:
"Some faces will on that
Day be bright with happiness"
And we've learned that our
good works and sacrifices can help in bringing those blessings upon
us, as it is written:
"A good person out of
the store of goodness in his heart produces
good"
May you all be blessed
abundantly with Geocaching success!
PAX
+†+