highlights from a road trip

We just returned from a road trip that included New York City, Philadelphia, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Toronto, Ontario. Here are a few of the world famous things we saw:

the Statue of Liberty, the National Constitution Center, Niagara Falls, and Cassie, the best dog in Brooklyn. Okay, Cassie might not be world-reknowned, but she should be.

If you asked me what the highlights were of the trip, however, they would probably not include these famous sites. They would include brunch with Mike and Char who always manage to mix fun and wisdom in wonderful proportion. They would include making a helium balloon bouquet for Ryan and chasing it down the parking lot (alas it was lost in an updraft). They would include cooking a French meal for Constance who was somewhat confounded not to be in the kitchen but just able to sit and talk while someone else did the serving for a change.

They would be listening to Jana talk about her confidence in Jesus to guide her future. They would be seeing the look on Greg's face when he received the gift of a beautiful musical instrument. They would be noticing Dean relax more and more each day as the company of good friends and the extravagance of a good God erased all the worries and responsibilities of business and church for a time. It would be a short motorcycle ride with Dean that reminded me of all the good reasons for being on this unpredictable journey.

It would be going to sleep every night with contentment and rising every morning with expectation. It would be knowing that there are more people in the world who love us and consider us part of their family than I had thought us worthy of. It would be the stretching of my heart as once again I see how much bigger God's heart is than I could ever imagine. *sigh of gratitude*

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outWORD by Matte Downey

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