Blessed

We are so incredibly blessed.

For the past twelve days we've been enveloped in the embrace of our beloved friends and family as we travel south to Guatemala. We've been staying with our loved ones, re-visiting our favorite locations and experiences where they live, and just spending time with these precious people we've been blessed with.

It's been good. Like, really, really, really good. The kind of good that most people can only dream of.

We haven't done anything extravagent or expensive. These locations aren't the hottest, most sought-after vacation locales. (Ok - we're staying on an island in the Gulf Coast right now, but still...)  I can't help but feel deeply, profoundly, incredibly blessed.

We took in stunning Iowa vistas - watching the wind make rippling waves in the tall grass.

We held baby bunnies, chased kittens, and got licked by long-lashed heifers.

We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores after a leisurely day of playing some of our favorite card games with some of our favorite people.

We've gathered around tables all over and eaten hot-off-the-grill burgers and brats and hot dogs with friends and family - grinning broadly and dripping ketchup all the while.

We hit a few new tourist locations in our old haunts, and revisted a few of our old favorites too. We've been everywhere from the famous to the obscure, and loved every minute of it.

We hugged people who, very likely, won't be around to hug next year when we come back to visit.

Last night we furiously kicked at waves full of biolumenescent plankton on a dark beach under the brilliant stars, watching tiny blue explosions light up in the water around our feet.

Like I said - we are so incredibly blessed.

But, it's not really the places, or even these experiences, that make it so. It's the people.

I marvel at the fact that God has granted us so many precious friendships. It has been really, really hard to go from place, to place, to place, to place, having to say goodbye. But, that's only because we love the people in each of those places so much. How did we end up so blessed to have so many precious people in so many places? (And all of them on the way to Guatemala, too!)

God is really good.

We'll spend a few more days here, enveloped in embrace of these loved ones - as we've been doing for the past 12 days. After that, we're headed off as just our family of five to do our own embracing - of the unknown. Of the new things God has put before us. And, of the precious people He loves and knows are in need of being shown that love.

Soon we will have the privilege of taking all the love and friendship that we've been practically marinating in on this trip, and lavish it on other people in the name of Jesus.

We are so incredibly blessed.

...I will bless you...so that you will be a blessing...    

                                                                     -Gen 12:2