Quiet.

Summer is over in 1.5 weeks. Unreal. It sneaks up on me every year. And here I am, in the midst of my first post of the summer. Apparently this new-fangled blogging stuff is really not my thing.

It's been a very full and robust summer. Funny enough, it has been one of the most relaxing and fulfilling summers I've had in awhile. Maybe it's because my to-do list got lost somewhere (maybe on purpose) and because we've had a freezer full of Otter Pops for 2 months, one of my fondest childhood memories. Maybe its because we've been able to spend some serious quality time with friends and family and have seen God provide in miraculous and humbling ways. I could go into massive details about all of our summer adventures, but maybe I will just attach a few photos at the bottom. Tonight I feel quiet.

My heart is quiet, and for once I think my mind is quiet. I'm sitting in an empty and quiet house. I think Scout just ate a spider.. he's making some sounds that are interrupting the quiet. All around me are projects waiting to be finished, counters waiting to be cleaned, carpets waiting to be vacuumed and laundry waiting to be folded. Life is so full, but it can wait. Life has a funny way of doing this. Filling us up until our breaking point, until all we can do is sit back and chuckle as we realize that we've been flying on auto-pilot. It forces us to prioritize and look for beauty. It's been a rough week. A week that has put everything in perspective and has silenced me. I don't have many thoughts or words. If there is one thing I've learned this summer, it is that God is good. It's easy to believe it in the good times, in the harvest. But I think I've really been able to grasp something I've been just outside the reach of for so long. Even when life around us falls apart and when our apparent needs or wants are unmet and seem to go unnoticed, God is good. He has woven time together into this beautiful tapestry that we only see a glimpse of now. How utterly amazing it will be on the day when we see the full tapestry in view. I've had the delight of studying the book of Daniel with some dear friends this summer. If I've learned one thing from this study, it is that God is actively involved in moving His creation towards His ultimate goal, however aware or unaware we are of it. I pray that we are aware to all the ways that He is moving us towards Him and through this marvelous tapestry of life. He knows and has always known. If you think of it, please send up a prayer for Matt's dad Craig.

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17