Wrangler Dani

We’ve been in Orange County for almost two weeks, and it’s been a whirlwind. Today is the first day of our trip that I’m not running to business appointments, moving us into or out of a hotel room or obliging friend’s house, or driving from one end of the county to another; and I’m relishing a quiet morning with a cup of coffee, a table to write on and the lifting fog outside the window.

The simple things are the beautiful ones, aren’t they? The joy of a dinner with friends at a beloved restaurant, of a casual invite for burgers and hot dogs, of the sharing of hugs and stories, of the generous offers of spare bedrooms, couches and air mattresses for us to invade. I’m reminded of how much our lives changed just in the time we lived here – that communities and churches and people do not live in stagnation or stay embalmed in perfection the way we want them to – they twist and turn and grow and move. If we’re truly blessed, love runs through all of those changes, and our dear friends stay dear even though time, space and kidlets might have stretched at all the edges a bit more than we would like.

I’m feeling refueled for adventure, for the bursting, yearning growth that I sense must be around the bend. (Bend, get it?! Haha.) I’m grateful for quiet moments like this one, when I remember just how good it is to sip coffee and work quietly, secure and knowing I am loved.