marvelous mondays

Days like this are wonderful.

When we take walks through the back yard to visit the horse down the street, and it's so hot we're sweating by the time we get to the end of the yard. But we walk anyways and enjoy the heat and the breeze.

When the kids I nanny are good all day, take a really long nap (more time to read Hemingway!), never cry, whine, or fight. And so in reward, we all eat ice cream cones on the back porch. And they don't even make a mess!

When Drew & Jeff come home with a puck and swipers for the neglected air hockey table out back, and then proceed to teach the kids how to play.

Days like this are wonderful because I am reminded at every moment of how God is with me, and he is making everything so beautiful. I see him in the smiles of the tired kids, the laughs of my friends, the sunlight streaming through my windows, and even the impatience and frustration that comes for tired children with 4 o'clock. In this moment, God is good and I am cradled in the arms of the universe and I am alive, alive, alive. And it is good.

get to know... drew

Drew is probably the smartest person I know. He is going to school to be a doctor, and he excels in everything he does. He is unfathomably kind, gentle, compassionate, funny, eclectic, deep, and tall. Drew is one of those people in life that is a rock: he is solid, stable, and dependable. He teaches me to ride with the windows down, laugh the little stuff off, and count all things as loss compared to knowing God. He gives so much of himself to everyone so freely it is astonishing. He has taught me a lot about forgiveness, kindness, and growing up. Often referred to as "Droogle", Drew can answer any question or offer any fact at almost any given moment. This is due to his love of technology, though it never outweighs his love for others; a balance hard to find. I've known Drew since I was 14 and he was 16, and he has never failed to be there for me. I count myself as one of the luckiest people alive to have him in my life, and to have him be such a large part of it. You don't meet many people in life like Drew, if any. I don't appreciate him enough, but I have no words for what a marvelous person he is.

[this is part of the "get to know..." series, which you can read about here.]