4.5 Million Tulips

I went to Holland, Michigan yesterday to experience the Tulip Festival. It is another item on my bucket list that was checked off! It was the most incredible display of blooming tulips. It was just a glorious array of color. Everywhere you went there were tulips! Every color and so many varieties. Some looked like roses some resembled parrot wings. I literally took hundreds of pictures.

We toured the windmill, which is named De Zwann. It means swan, or graceful bird. It is the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the United States. It was brought here from the Netherlands in 1964. It was reconstructed and opened to the public the following year. It is a truly amazing structure. It is still being used to grind whole wheat flour, which you can purchase. It is 5 stories tall and can be visited even when it’s actually working. The winds have to be a minimum of 11 mph. It is located at Windmill Island Gardens. It wasn’t working when we toured it because the lady who runs it was preparing for the Tulip Festival. The tour guide told us that when it’s working, you can’t even hear the blades. It’s silent. Wow. It is run by one person, a lady that has to be very strong and agile. She also obviously is not afraid of heights! There are a number of ladders she has to climb and it was quite alarming to me that someone could run this windmill alone!

Holland is a very enjoyable place to visit. The city is nicknamed the Tulip City. It has 4.5 million blooming tulips right now. The city is home to the church that started the trend of “what would Jesus do” bracelets in 1989. It is very rich in their Dutch heritage.

After we spent several hours viewing the Tulip displays, the windmill and walking through the city we drove out to see Lake Michigan. It is about a 20 minute drive. We walked about 1/2 mile to see the Big Red Lighthouse. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water just sparkled in the sunlight. There were many sailboats and fishing boats too. It reminded me that summer is coming soon!

It was just a wonderful day. I love to travel and I really love flowers. When I see this awesome display of tulips I can’t help but think of how awesome is the creator of such beauty. The vibrant living colors could never be matched by man. There are hundreds of varieties of tulips. There are probably millions of other types of flowers also. God created such beauty for us to enjoy.

I’m grateful today for the many benefits the Lord gives to us daily. You might be going through a rough time in your life but there is an ever constant source of strength and beauty at your disposal. When Jesus was in the garden He  faced His greatest trial. He found the strength He needed to overcome.

I love my garden. I love to watch things grow and I’m always reminded that the only source of life is God. He created so many lovely plants for us to enjoy. We need to take time to smell the roses and view the beautiful tulips!