Today I am Loving {35a}

When the sweetest piano baby names her new song 

"Come with me my sweetest friend."

Today I am Loving {35}

When He leads you to the thing that you just don't understand and you look at Him all morning grumpy and say "really Lord, could you be just a little bit more clear?" and then He astounds you, with His Brilliance.

Today I am Loving {34a}

When brokenness shared with you its story, 

and you listened, and in the listening, you loved and you were loved;

when the stillness overwhelmed to the point of turbulence, 

but you entered, and in the entering, you found grace.

"We must go out into a desert of some kind (your back yard will do) and come into a personal experience of the awesome love of God. Then, we will nod in knowing agreement with that gifted English mystic Julian of Norwich: The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love." 

[Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel]

Today I am Loving {34}

When the well-loved child who is growing into grown lays her hand inside yours with the sigh out of all that is deep in her, 

and no words need be said.

Today I am Loving {33}

When your day is full of many many lovely moments, and even you can tell it's a little bit weird that cutting up these beets was the one that brought your soul most leapfully to life.

Today I am Loving {32}

 When the sweet little pond that you have loved
despite its less beautiful parts

 [good-bye ugly bucket!]

gets a make-over entitled "finally, finally, this is better!" 

and you realize how glad you are that the bag of river rocks that has been sitting in your yard [for two years making you crazy but you just couldn't bring yourself to get rid of them] has helped in this transformation,

and you shower off all the dirt of the thing, make a drink,

and reflect in the Goodness of the One you call King.

Today I am Loving {31b}

When you have to do the laundry and you're working on the article 

and the dear ones say "come over while we're out, 

and then we'll go to dinner!"

Today I am Loving {31a}

 When the little town you live in and love 

 is full of so much beauty, 

 and you walk through it to get to
the sweet little cafe on just the other edge of it,

to meet the friend who presents you with this.

Today I am Loving {31}

When you remember that the process of writing involves both the ebbing and the flowing, and you can't have one without the other.

Today I am Loving {30b}

When the piano camp is coming up, and you plan for hours on the phone with the other half of your brain.

Today I am Loving {30a}

When all that has been broken, begins to drip back to life.

Today I am Loving {30}

When He says "You have been avoiding Me," with that open-handed kindness you have come to count on, and you say 

"Yes Lord, you are right."

Today I am Loving {29a}

When you have been nurturing the seed you were given,
and then it is time to get your hands dirty, and plant.

Today I am Loving {29}

When the friend that you miss is still making you smile.

Today I am Loving {28b}

When the poetic young friend is coming for dinner and it is the first night of the year where eating outside will be lovely.

Today I am Loving {28a}

When you walk outside to go to the library and discover they are planting lilacs and lavender directly outside your Penn State cottage and your whole life leaps for joy, and then you get back inside and discover the aroma is permeating your sweet little office 

and things just couldn't get better if they tried.

Today I am Loving {28}

When you are taking out the trash,
and discover beauty to be brought inside.

Today I am Loving {27a)

 When the sunshine dapples,

and thunderclouds threaten.

Today I am Loving {27}

When you stumble down the steps in the morning, 

and the view just never gets old.

Today I am Loving {26}

When the bee diligently comes to do the work on a rainy Sunday morning, and it reminds you of the always-at-work of Another.

Today I am Loving {25b}

When it is a rainy day, and your favorite rainy day sweater is falling apart, you channel all those things your grandma taught you, and fix it.

Today I am Loving {25a}

When the day is spent in seeking, for all those He's entrusted to you, 

in the quiet of kitchen and cottage.

Today I am Loving {25}

When the rain patters down next to Saturday morning windows, candlelight.

Today I am Loving {24}

When all is warm and wonderful [and the weekend portends to be rainy and not], and you have an outdoor office, at your disposal.

Today I am Loving {23b}

 When you tried to turn to the right and then the left, but your ears heard a voice saying "This is the way, walk in it, walk in it" and you walked and you walked and still you are walking, blinded by His Glory, everywhere you look.

Today I am Loving {23a}

When you are doing the very rewarding if slightly challenging piano work, it is always nice to have a cheering section.

Today I am Loving {23}

When you are taking a stay-at-home-and-work-on-all-things-piano-related day, during which you break in the middle to go for your I-am-so-tired-and-my-body-hurts-me-always massage, after which you opt for the steam bath you never usually have time for, at which you discover steam baths do wonders for your curly cranky hair, of which you take a picture to send to the friend who both recommended the steam-bath-salon but also has great hair envy, with which you discover that your eyes are so red because good-night-you'd-like-to-sleep-a-bit, and so?  You do.

Today I am Loving {22a}

When the Wednesday night girls gather.

Today I am Loving {22}

When it is nearly impossible to find time for a coffee date with the friend you usually interject moments of "how are you?" with while her children filter off and onto your piano bench, it seems appropriate that this should be sitting next to the counter at which you sit down and talk.

Today I am Loving {21a}

 When you have been organizing and purging both of your cottages like a boss, and discover you are not the only one who feels a bit like nesting.

Today I am Loving {21}

When it is summer and your research brain is spinning and fully in the mode of investigation, and you realize that because you are gifted to be where you are, the world is at your fingertips.

Today I am Loving {20a}

When you need a journaling break, 

and attend a hilarious musical puppet show instead.

Today I am Loving {20}

 When you're sitting in your chair, talking to Him about all the things on your heart and your mind, and you look around and notice the sparkles on the walls and your soul leaps up and causes you to say,

"You have taught me to walk with inexplicable joy."

Today I am Loving {19a}

When it is an epic sale of books happening at an Ag Arena Building near you, you should go, once in a while.

Today I am Loving {19}

When the God that you love is worthy of praise,
and you enter His gates, with singing.

Today I am Loving {18b}

When you are taking an introvert night, but are pretty sure there would be a line at the door if people knew about this.

Today I am Loving {18a}

When the dearest one has a birthday, and your new plan is that you spend the day doing whatever the birthday one wants, and then the non-birthday one treats.

Today I am Loving {18}

When the precious friends are renovating their newly bought house, and you walk in, to this.

Today I am Loving {17a}

When the sun is shining and you are meeting the friend
with whom you can speak of the music learning things,
and then you order Carnitas Nachos.

Today I am Loving {17}

When your heart is calling from a dry and weary land, 

and His promise is:

 to pour out.