It has been a few days since we dropped our oldest off a thousand miles away. Before we drove away, we walked around the cabin she will call home for a bit. We saw reminders of our time there from so many years ago. On one wall, a picture of my husband from the summer we met. On another, one of me a few summers before that. Then one of the three of us when she was less than a year old. Looking at those images stirred an enormous amount of gratitude for the way the Lord planned our steps back to this same place. Then another wave of thankfulness for His unconditional love during the harder steps, ones that looked more like stumbles at the time. He is so good.

This morning I got an unexpected FaceTime call and radiant perfectly describes the child on my screen. It is amazing what joy can do to ones appearance. And I have a feeling that once I rest up from this emotional trip, I will see the same joy on my face as well, evidence of His continued goodness.