The blog that is written below – I wrote back in 2013. I stumbled upon it yesterday, and it made me smile and have some serious awe and gratitude. So, i thought I’d share it with you guys. Enjoy!

Ok, maybe my most important post on either of my blogs. This is one of those ground shaking moments in my life. And it all started with a monkey – Well, gorilla acutally – name Baraka. Long story short – my family and I went to the Smithsonian zoo on Saturday. Beautiful day in the District. It was 65 degrees – blue sky – not too crowded. Just absolutely perfect. We were all having fun – and I saw “The Great Ape House”. My kids and I went in, and it was the coolest thing ever! Seeing the gorillas hopping around – putting on a show, almost. I was sitting on the steps watching my kiddos look through the glass. And you ever have that feeling someone is staring at you? Well, I had it. And I looked. And it was definitely a 350 pound gorilla – who I later found out is named Baraka.

Well, Baraka and I got in a staredown competition. And finally, when the crowd thinned out – I walked up to the glass. And Baraka, who had been sitting alone the whole time – watching the other gorillas and staring at me – got up. He got and walked directly over to me. And then, through the glass – with about an inch of glass separating us – we stood eye to eye. Nose to nose. Lip to lip. I have never been that close to any wild animal ever. And his eyes. They were full of expression and feeling. It was like looking into a human’s eyes. And my heart fell in love with him at that moment. I have had dogs and cats growing up – and loved them. But never ever have I ever seen such expression. I have thought about that precious gorilla ever since.

Now I know I sound a touch wackadoo – so be it. It’s true. But then my brain began a long thought process and research adventure. Now understand – I am a huge nerd. Geology and Paleontology are my passions. I love science. Science makes sense. Science explains so many things. From how to make coffee to cancer treatment – it’s science. So I started researching why gorillas are so humanlike.  In the eyes. And here is what I learned.

We are similar. Genetically similar. God made us that way. Which is amazing to me. And one thing that I learned about us, in this research is something called Laminin. Now, what this stuff is a protein.  Pretty cool – it’s the stuff that holds our cells together. Kinda of like the “gorilla glue” of our body. Get it? That’s some punny stuff. Yes, I meant punny.

Then my sister – told me about this guy Louie Gigilio – so I started to randomly listen to his podcasts. And guess what he talked about it one. LAMININ! How is that possible you say? Because God wanted this girl to really realize how tuned in he is to me. To each of us. If we will just listen. And here is a cool quick fact about Laminin. It’s shaped like a cross. Look it up. I am so not kidding. Then, Mr. Gigilio quoted Colossians 1:15-17. If you don’t know what it says, here ya go:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Now that is wicked cool. It’s not something that we don’t know per se. But when you think about how God made all things, cell by cell – bit by bit. He created amazing animals. Our human bodies. Our planet. He knew that a blue sky and green trees would look beautiful together. Our bodies are the most intricate machines ever. And I believe we take all that for granted. So today, think about it. Be thankful for it. And realize how amazing our entire lives are. How blessed we are.