Things I have experienced in the last two weeks:

A GPS can get somebody like me who gets lost coming out of my alley, to a destination even if it does have to recalculate because of the wrong turns.

The Filbert fellowship hall was a fun place for little people to play at the York Christmas celebration.

The Apple store in Charlotte is a fun place.

Maggianos' helpings are huge.

Crying makes me feel cleansed.

Fires in a fire pit or wood stove are cozy.

Children grow up to be helpful and fun-to-be-around adults.

There're more, but I have to go eat now.

Today is the day Brandon and Courtney get married. The weather is unseasonably cool and less humid than normal here in Bluffton, SC, where we are enjoying the Palmetto Bluffs Resort-- site of the big event. The little people in our family had a blast climbing the five-story tree house multiple times, while the bigger people enjoyed it too but were a lot more tired after the climb to the top. Even Grandpa and Grandma Rhodes seemed quite agile in their ascent!

Low Country Boil, fried okra, cornbread, watermelon, an oyster roast, a blue grass band---together with family and friends---made the rehearsal dinner at an outdoor pavilion on the water FUN. As we were getting on the trolley to head back to the resort, we could see fireworks over the water. We could hear Chloe squeal as she got her second wind. The smells of the ocean reminded us of past weeks at the beach, and we dodged tree limbs that pushed their way into open trolley.

Beauty, warmth, love, fun--- remind me of Jesus because He came to restore a broken world.

Buying a Car

Intimidated, non-confrontational, and downright scared. That's how I feel on a car hunt. I want someone to tell me what to do and how to do it. The last car I bought I did a little (one hour) of research, 15 minutes of test-driving, and I bought the car. I liked the salesman because we had a mutual friend---and he seemed honest. It's been a good car, but it has an oil gel problem in the engine and somehow it feels like I should have known that. Like if I had done a little more research, been a little more bold, none of this would have happened.

Then that takes me back to what Toby, our pastor, preached about several weeks ago. The "If only" syndrome. If only I had done blank, or if only I had blank, I would be satisfied. I make agreements with these type statements on a regular basis and then find myself either beaten up, full of anxiety, or just bummed.

I am looking out my front window right now and see a beautiful bird happily singing on a tree branch. Every morning they sing!
Is it really true that my Creator can make me that free of heart? That indeed He likes me even when I'm in this state of anxiety? Amazing thought.

I woke up in the night, worried but not sure exactly why. An old song came to mind, and the words comforted me:
"All your anxieties, all your cares. Bring to the Mercy Seat, leave them there. Never a sorrow He will not share, never a friend like Jesus."