Alice in Wonderland once said “You can learn a lot of things from the flowers” and I could not agree more! I found myself this past weekend walking through the Disney EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival with my family and I could not stop thinking of just how beautiful a simple flower could be and just how much color they add to their environment. This is one of our most favorite times to visit the park and this year did not disappoint. I started to think of just how much a simple flower could teach us if we would just allow it. I was filled with such joy and gratitude while on our short trip down to enjoy this time together and my hope is that I will be able to share some of that here with you. I hope that you are encouraged as you read along.

First let me begin by making my travel recommendation to you. If you have not ever been or considered going to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival then I would recommend that you consider visiting during this annual festival. The dates for this year (2024) are February 28 to May 27, 2024 which makes it the perfect time for a Spring getaway. The creativity and beauty of each garden design throughout the park is absolutely gorgeous, the food is delicious and when you pair that with the magic of Disney entertainment, you will be so glad that you went. The Garden Rocks concerts are really great and have some of the best musicians featured throughout the festival for your entertainment. If you are someone who enjoys great food, beautiful scenery, cultural variety and having fun all at the same time, then this festival is a great one for you!

EPCOT Information

• EPCOT is HUGE! You will want to be sure and wear your comfortable shoes when you are visiting. This park is about three times the size of Magic Kingdom.
• You can enter EPCOT through the World Showcase entrance up to 30 minutes before the park opens which is a great tip if you are trying to get to your favorite ride without a long wait or want to take some great pictures without the crowd.
• Strollers, wheelchairs, and ECV’s are able to be rented for the day.
• You can get to EPCOT by driving your own vehicle and parking in the parking lot, taking the EPCOT monorail, using the Disney bus transportation, private transport, or the Skyliner from one of the Skyliner resorts.
• Lockers are available at the front entrance of the park and can be purchased for $10-$15 for the day.
• Be sure to pick up a map when you enter the park to help you navigate throughout the day.
• Download the My Disney Experience App for so many great features to help you navigate your day as you are visiting.
• If you need to venture from one side of the World Showcase to the other, you can take one of the water taxi’s across the Lagoon.

Favorite Things To Do In EPCOT

• Grab a delicious cup of coffee from Joffrey’s (It is delicious)
• Take a moment and have your picture taken as soon as you enter the park if the line is not too long. This is a great way to start your day and will give you a great souvenir to have printed for later on.
• Enjoy some time at the front of the park and ride some or all of the rides before you set out on your adventure to The World Showcase. Some of my favorite rides include:
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (THIS IS A MUST ROLLERCOASTER)
  • Test Track
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Living with the Land
  • The Seas With Nemo & Friends
  • Be sure to visit Journey of Water (Inspired by Moana)
• Once you have spent some time at the front of the park then you will want to make your way to The World Showcase! I absolutely love all that each country has to offer and I recommend taking time to look in each shop and try some of the delicious food each one has to offer. The food is excellent and you will find some of the most unique souvenirs. This adventure will take most of the day.
• Be sure that you plan to end your night by gathering around The World Showcase Lagoon for an amazing firework show! (I recommend finding a great spot along the Lagoon at least 30 minutes early so that you have a good view of the show)

As I made my way around the park on this trip, I could not help but to be encouraged in my faith. I started to think just how often gardening is used throughout the Word of God. The book of Genesis begins with creation and God creating life to be placed in the garden. The garden is where God’s heart is revealed to us. I realized that gardening is not an easy task and requires work from the gardener. The amount of labor that goes into making sure each plant is in the correct place does not just happen but has to be carefully considered. The complexity of gardening is something that I realized on my own after thinking I would plant flowers in my own garden based on my preference rather than the needs of the flower itself. Each flower has a certain amount of sunlight that it needs in order to thrive. When I think of my own life and the lives of those around me I am reminded of how we each have our own needs and those needs cannot be overlooked or ignored because they are essential to our growth in life. When the flowers are carefully considered and placed according to the knowledge of the gardener, it will be able to bloom just as it was created to.

In our life we have to realize that God is the best gardener and He knows just exactly what we need in our life. He knows where we should be planted and just how much sunlight we need each and everyday. I realized that none of the flowers that I observed during this trip were in competition with the other but instead each one of them were working together in their own way to create such beauty. That is such a powerful lesson to each one of us in this life. We were not created to be in competition with one another or to try and grow past those around us but instead to each grow on our own as we were created to do and together we reflect the creativity of the Gardener.

I want to encourage you to bloom where you are planted. Allow the one who knows far more about gardening than you or I ever will to be in control of your life. Take a moment and realize that God’s heart is found in the garden. Life is found in the garden. We can be filled with gratitude in the garden because we know the gardener.

My purpose for starting The Coen Compass was to share my journey with you. I wanted to be able to share some of what I find to be great travel tips and recommendations from my own experience but I also wanted to be able to share what I consider to be the most important part of who I am, my faith. My hope is that you will take a little of both as you join me on this journey. My prayer is that you will be encouraged by something that I write and be able to use it in your own walk of faith. We are all traveling somewhere and so there is certainly a need for direction in our life from day to day. Be filled with gratitude that we are able to experience the garden.