This Remarkable Journey

Its about cotton candy...

I spent the evening tonight with a room full of really wonderful people, at a Young Life evening. These folks really are the best of the best. The purpose of the get-together was to thank our supporters for their gifts of finances and prayer. To thank them, and nothing more. These folks are those who, in my mind, "get it". Its not about denominations or competing ideologies, or even politics.

These dear people understand what is of Great Worth in life, and they throw their support in after it with all their hearts, and substantial portions of their wallets. I love these people. They want teenagers to know Christ. That is all, and its all that really matters. Our special guest for the evening was Hugh Hewitt, who was kind, gracious, told some wonderful stories, and gracefully, was brief. Great job, Hugh, thank you!

Being in a room of loud, laughing people, with a common sense of purpose and joy was energizing for me. And the noise, the din of people mingling, the serious conversations off in a corner, this collection of sounds reminded me, in a way, of what this life is about. It all moves so fast; one minute the kids are little, and need you so much, and the next moment, they have an attitude, and want you to leave the room - so they can talk to their friends on the phone.

When I got home, I stumbled on this bit by Anne Lammott, who's writing I have occasionally enjoyed (except for the silly monochromatic political stuff). She sums up the raising of kids so well, in describing her son:

"I know where he got his gallows humor. I can see myself so clearly in him, many of my worst traits, some of my goodness. I can also still see many of Sam's ages in him: New parents always grieve as their babies get bigger, because they cannot imagine the child will ever be so heartbreakingly cute and needy again. But Sam is a swirl of every age he's ever been, and all the new ones, like cotton candy, like the Milky Way."

I am thankful for the swirl of Milky Way in my own girls. I am also thankful for the swirl of remarkable, amazingly unique folks tonight in that home - all there for love of the Kingdom, and the King, who persistently, relentlessly, makes lives new.