August 18, 2024 (the #iloveprompt of August)

I love ripe peaches sliced up into plain Greek yogurt. I love the chirps of crickets and frogs at nightfall. I love apples turning red on trees in late August, and cinnamon sugar donuts in September. I love being pleasantly surprised when I discover new facets in the character of old friends. I love being silly.

I love when my dad sends photos of my sister’s dog to the group chat with captions like, “bath time” and, “nap with grandma.” I love being a regular at shops downtown, and when my favorite barista knows what I’m going to order before I even step in line. I love being deeply and fully known—and if not by humans, then at least by God. I love the tiny white flecks sprinkled across the hind ends of baby deer.

I love gardens. I love the aurora, and that God gave me another opportunity to see it in August after missing it in May. I love second chances. I love afternoon naps and sleeping deeply ‘til dawn. I love the free samples and unfettered chaos at every Cherry Republic store in the state of Michigan.

Even though they confuse and confound me, I deeply love a good paradox. I love nuance, and how two conflicting concepts can be true at the same time. I love how Jesus holds these conflicts perfectly—the tension of divinity and humanity held flawlessly within his holy skin. I love how we are all parts of that same body, striving in unison to accomplish the works set out before us. I don’t love how often we fail at this, but I admire the people who keep trying—the ones who turn around, lay down their lives, and offer their backs as bridges so we can walk safely to the other side.

I love grace. I don’t understand it, and it’s easy to resent when it’s given to others…until you realize how much you also need it yourself. How desperate you are without it. I will forever love God’s love that keeps finding me wherever I’m at—as the sun crests each day and sets each night—new mercies and miracles that never run out.

(bringing back the #iloveprompt because idk why, it just felt right.)

What do you love that you’d add to your list? 🤍

January 27, 2023

8:43pm: Eating a kale salad with croutons while I recline on my couch with wet hair. Christmas tree is still up and the cozy vibes are strong. Paul Tripp’s Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life is spread open across my lap, to the page titled “Broken-Down House.”

8:43pm: I’ve got the stirrings of a new poem in me—let’s see how long it takes to come out.

November 23, 2022

I went to Ohio this past weekend to visit friends, and on Sunday found myself driving along the most quaint and winding back road that made me very nostalgic for the holidays. Farms and rolling hills flanked my car on either side, while I clutched a semi-warm Starbucks caramel macchiato in one hand and warm glove on the other. A truly warm cashmere scarf fell across my neck as I drove around tree-lined curves and passed below tiny cows grazing atop hillside pastures. I couldn’t help but think of myself as a main character in some cutesy and terribly cliché Hallmark movie.

And ya know what? It was great.