oh, how He loves us so

Now that the weather's warmer, I've been thinking a lot about last summer. I miss the mountains of Utah. I miss their grandness, their beauty, and most of all, the way I felt God so near while I was surrounded by them. While I pined for the mountains, I realized I was really pining for the Lord.

A couple of days ago as I drove down the street, billowing white clouds sat on a perfectly blue sky. The sun shot beams through the cracks of the clouds all the way to the horizon. It was beautiful. I felt I could be swallowed by the light; I felt completely surrounded. And I felt like God was telling me, "I am near you, no matter where you are."

I love that He hears the cries of our hearts, even when we don't know what we're crying. I love that He provides in the most creative, unexpected ways. He promises and proves His provision over and over again. For example....

"Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds." - Psalm 36:5

just a day

I'm reading a Donald Miller book, and reading Donald Miller always makes me want to write. Of course, when I write after I read something that makes me want to write, I usually end up writing like whatever it is I've just read. It's like when I listen to Doris Day, I then sing everything like Doris Day.

Today Dad took me for a ride in his blue, '85 convertible. I put my arms up in the air, straight above my head, just because I could. "Isn't this nice?" Dad said. "Just being out in it all?" Then we hit a thick patch of manure-infused Wisconsin air, Dad started coughing, and I laughed.

This afternoon I found myself standing on the deck thinking about absolutely nothing but how the warmth from the deck on my feet met the warmth from the sun on my shoulders somewhere around my middle and made me want to take a nap standing up. I like moments like that.

I like Wisconsin summers. I sometimes start to feel a little sad that I won't be here...until I remember that I like Ohio summers even better. Right now I'm drinking coffee and listening to a tractor across the street. Weeks like this one, frozen in-between times, will be rare from now on. I'm going to cherish this one.