When all else fails

I've been trying to be still and listen, and it takes baby steps for God to deal with me, I think. This week I've heard the same verses and themes repeated, and they've started to stick:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:38-39]

Last night at Pathways Cindy talked about perseverance and to "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How true that when life gets you down or you can't see the finish line, you just have to persevere and keep going. I hope that I can look back and say "So that's what God was up to..." and see that He was holding me all along. But there's also the possibility that these events are happening and I won't have any knowledge of why. I haven't had much experience with that looking back thing, or else I've just been blind to the obvious so far.

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In other news...
I'm headed to Florida on Thursday for a long weekend with Erin & Kelli and the kiddos. Woohoo! We plan to dip our toes in the Atlantic, shop til we drop in IKEA, and maybe learn some Spanish. Or not.

We plan to re-create this picture from 2007, but on the East coast and not the West.

Tonight:
Cleaning the apartment. It's nice to not have to mess with cleaning along with unpacking. The last step is to change my sheets before I leave. It's so nice to sleep in a fresh bed the first night home. One of the small things that makes me happy. Mmmmm.