Today I am Loving {127}

When you and your staff have a powerhouse day--

the rapport is building, the ideas are flowing, the commitment is showing--and you take a moment to sit back and realize: this new-this-semester team is going to make for a powerhouse year.

Today I am Loving {126a}

When you are feeling more beat up than anything, 

so you go back to the beginning.

Today I am Loving {126}

When the recording is full of the joking and laughing, and you plow through the music and have a night of good work.

Today I am Loving {125a}

When you're thinking about all those piano baby faces and all their piano playing needs, and get to doing the planning.

Today I am Loving {125}

When you keep a bag of limes always on hand, 

and you open the refrigerator, feeling quite decadent.

Today I am Loving {124}

 When there are stormy countryside drives,

with love and laughs.

Today I am Loving {123a}

When you live in a magical place, and there is a treasured girl recently returned to campus, who through all of last year invited you into her Healing Story, and after a summer of her walking in Strengthening Growing, you have a reunion to walk and talk among and about, 

all of the Beauty.

Today I am Loving {123}

Today I am Loving {122}

 When He sends you,

what you need.

Now to Him --who is able-- to do immeasurably more than all you could ask for, or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations... To Him, Amen.

Today I am Loving {121}

When there are no words, really, just Him;

When you are usually so neat and orderly, but He said He was in the process of restoring you to your flesh, and you thought "what in the heck?" but here you are, okay with real, okay with mess;

When you get home late and the waning air is warm and breeze and supper is oh so colorful;

When there is the phone call with one who is more sister than ever friend, His gift to you in the season of needing to know His Strength, and you breathe in lavender, and you breathe in Him, and you feel yourself, align, restore;

When the past few nights have been chilly cold, but tonight the room is wrapped in stuffy warm, and there are clean sheets, and sleep feels imminent, peace from the One who enables you.

Today I am Loving {120a}

When you take the walk with the neighbor/friend,

 and talk in the park in the cooling of the evening,

and notice that in these days of life sharing,

you are profoundly grateful.

Today I am Loving {120}

When you made the decision to ease into the season, the piano babies held off for just a few more weeks yet, and so you come home from the office working, and the only thing urgent in the making is: cake.

Today I am Loving {119a}

When you never cease to be enthralled by the creativity of your Creator.

Today I am Loving {119}

When you spent the pretty routine day pretty sure you weren't going to find anything all that extraordinary to love, but there you were, ruminating over the cheese, when the man interrupted you, his "Excuse me" so genuine, his delight so sincere, to remark "your hair! is absolutely gorgeous," "do you know there are students on campus--?" "I just love  it..." (and it's got to be true because he can't take his eyes off it yet not for one minute do you feel uneasy about it) and all you can do is smile quite humble and say your thanks, he thinks for the hair, but you know more, for giving you your moment.

Today I am Loving {118a}

When--in an "I returned the wrong book to the library and now it is way overdue and the claims department is hounding me and so I went out to bring it back but then realized I might not have copied the article I wanted from it in the first place and so I reversed my steps and returned to my office to check and then headed back to the library" debacle--you run into your two campus favorites, both of whom you were thinking of just that morning, and you stand talking deep with the first in the energy of the sun and then you take a walk with the next in the energy of the first-day-of-classes, and you feel your soul, renew.

Today I am Loving {118}

When the way to your heart is really quite simple,

and sitting in your office upon morning arrival.

Today I am Loving {117c}

When the fundraising dinner turns into a feast of laughter 

with the ladies-with-whom-you-laugh.

Today I am Loving {117b}

When you go outside to visit your pond 

after the torrential downpours, and you discover

 you are not the only one come to call, 

and since

!!!!you have been waiting your whole life 
for a frog to come visit your pond!!!!,

you feel quite certain you can die now,
but instead, you just squat with him, awhile.

Today I am Loving {117a}

When He said "It's a new day--stand in it" and then you see it,

happening.

Today I am Loving {117}

When you stand out in the early grog with the rising up sun, 

and listen.

Today I am Loving {116b}

When there is water and fire, 

playful children and the music-making friend.

Today I am Loving {116a}

When you take a mid afternoon drink on the porch break

and breathe in the breezy view,

and bond with the cactus

(thriving since his banishment to the outdoors, after you discovered he was hosting an entire town of ants on your kitchen windowsill...).

Today I am Loving {116}

When it is a putter in the kitchen kind of day.