lollipops

Last night was one of those amazingly starry nights, with warm summer wind and good friends. My neighbor Anne has an iPod app that you can point at the stars and it identifies constellations, so we found Hercules and Corona Borealis! Gwen's star is in between the two, by Hercules' nose. It was fun moment to see her star, and I was thankful that the constellations were visible from my front yard, at a normal stargazing time of night.

at all times

I used to keep this quote by Francis Chan by the front door: "The decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit, right now, in today's decisions."

Today I was reminded that faithfulness, obedience, and contentedness in response to chaos, hurt, and disappointments are not made during crisis. They're made in the everyday moments.

call to action

Sometimes, Facebook can be helpful. I'm not good at keeping up with world/state/local news, so in my case, it can be extremely helpful. Kristen, a friend of mine, posted about www.findmadeline.com. It's the story of Madeline, a (now) 8 year old girl who was abducted in 2007. Her family has spent the last FOUR YEARS looking for their daughter, trying to raise awareness, trying to find leads, trying to remind the rest of the world that precious sons and daughters are taken every day.

a new canvas

Before Gwen was born, I started writing her letters. Not very many... less than I wish. But I cataloged the pregnancy with her, and told her about our life in progress, waiting for her arrival. Since she's been in Heaven, I've kept up with writing her. I have this idea that just maybe God reads her my thoughts, and when I see her again she'll understand me a little better for it.