Answer to prayer

 

We were looking forward to the picnic, despite it being on August bank holiday Monday, which was bound to be really busy.  For once, we were very well prepared and not shopping at the last minute, or on the way, but all set to go, together with our comfy garden chairs and even a little foldaway table.

We left on time, and were due to meet a group of friends at 11.00 at the picnic area at Shaun Country Park in Kent.

The Satnav was all set up before we left this time, so no looking up the post code on Google on the way, through the glare of the sunshine like we usually did, and also, this time the phone was already charged, so all in all, we were doing well. 

We took our 1964 convertible MG and the country park was only about 40 minutes from us, the traffic wasn’t too bad considering it was bank holiday, so all good.

It wasn’t long before we saw a sign for Shaun Country Park and it was nice that we were on time for once, although the Satnav was telling us to go straight on, it didn’t seem right, as we drove past by the road which I thought would have led to the country park, but there was no more signs for it, so maybe it was further up.

You would have thought that driving for another 10 minutes would have been a red flag, I didn’t think the park was that big, but hey, who knows where the other entrance was, no doubt we would soon come across it.

Well, now it was a good 25 minutes driving since we saw the sign and we were well and truly passed the country park, in fact we were near Leeds Castle, which was a bit further on and heading to a sign called Lenham and then Charing, Charing being a place where my cousin lives and I know only too well how far that is from us.  We pulled over and called one of our friends who we were supposed to be meeting, and we were miles away from Shaun Country Park. They were all getting hungry and we decided that they should go ahead with the picnic without us, and we would find somewhere else to have ours.  It took the pressure off us a bit but it was a shame that we didn’t get to meet up with the others.

We drove back to Leeds Castle which was definitely a no-no as it was absolutely packed, and we didn’t want to overheat in our old MG.

We then drove around for a while as it was quite hard to find a spot to stop and have a picnic, not like in some places in Europe where you can stop almost anywhere, and they cater for most of your needs, not only picnic areas, but showers and toilets and everything else.

I eventually did what I should have done first of all, and that was to pray, and ask God to please help find us somewhere to stop and have our picnic, which was now melting.  He led us to a place called Godinton House. It was nice that it had His name in it too, so I knew that had to be the place. We drove into what looked like private land, as no one seemed to be around, and I was expecting to hear shouts from angry people telling us to get off their land. We finally got to a small car park with about 15 cars.  I said I would go and have a look to see if the place was open.  I was greeted by a friendly lady who assured us that it was, and said we could go through to the beautiful gardens and have a look around. I said we have been trying to stop somewhere to have our picnic and she said we could have it there, either at the tables and chairs outside in the eating areas, before going into the gardens, or there was a picnic area by the car park that we could use. It was like going back in time, when people seemed to care more and not be ready to tell you what you can’t do, she was just pleased to see us and greet us.  We set up our picnic and it was the most beautiful day. We really appreciated the beauty in the trees and countryside surrounding us, We even had time for a quick nap in the sunshine, exhausted from our journey. No one bothered us at all or told us that we shouldn’t be there. Then we packed up and went to have a look at the gardens.  The actual house on the estate was closed, it was beautiful and definitely worth coming back to see when it is open, it’s on a 14th century estate owned by the Godinton House Preservation Trust, previously owned by a gentleman called Alan Wyndham Green, who bequeathed the property in trust for the public.  The lady assured us that the gardens were not to be missed, so we paid a small amount and went in.

Well it was such a blessing, so peaceful and beautiful.  We came across a few people here and there and they all said the same thing, that they don’t tell anyone about that place, they want to keep it quiet and I can see why.

But I will tell you about it, because it is so beautiful, I can’t keep it to myself.  The tranquility was the closest that I could imagine the gardens in Heaven to be like. We sat down just taking in the beauty and peacefulness.  The sun was shining and white butterflies were flying around freely, and they too seemed to be enjoying everything about the place.  It was very special, and as people say about Heaven, that even the trees, the grass and flowers seem to speak, I got a glimpse of understanding that, as everything there seemed so alive.  

There was a beautiful large Lilly pond and we sat on the pretty white bench beside it. We just didn’t want to leave the place.  There were a couple of professional photographers there too and I can see why.  You just wanted to capture everything about it, but also, I can see why they wanted to keep it quiet.

I am telling you about it because it is the perfect place to go and sit and write, or to get inspiration for writing.  It is a wonderful story in itself, and you feel part of it all by just being there.

So, although we didn’t get to the picnic with our friends, God had other plans for our afternoon, to bless us abundantly anyway.