What really matters...

Apparently today is the International Day of Peace. I must admit it seems like a great ideal, but these days, it feels pretty unrealistic. The world seems more chaotic, more frightening, more out of control every day, and I often wonder where to even begin in my efforts to be a peacemaker. And yet I do believe peace is possible. If you are my friend on Facebook or follow me on Instagram, you will see that I often post nature pictures because nature is a place where I feel at peace, where I feel a connection to God that is hard to come by in the distractions and busyness of the rest of my life. There is a wisdom to nature - it is not in a hurry. But that is not how we live our lives. We are always in a hurry, always rushing to what is next. In her book,  Searching for Sunday  Rachel Held Evans talks about the difference between a cure and healing. She writes, "The thing about healing as opposed to curing, is that it is relational. It takes time. It is inefficient, like a mean

Do you ever have a day that comes with a message that seems impossible to miss? Like it's a giant neon sign, or God hitting you up side the head with a 2x4. That was my day today. It started at Girls on the Run. I volunteer on Tuesdays as a running buddy, and each day there is a lesson about empowerment, friendship, or some other important life lesson for the girls, as well as time to run and take care of our physical selves. Today's theme was "Star Power", and it was all about those things that we do that shine - kindness, confidence, encouragement, and so much more. But that was a lesson for girls in 4th and 5th grade, and relatively easily ignored after my crazy earlier day. However, since I didn't get enough exercise during Girls on the Run to achieve the goals set by my Apple Watch, and I currently have a streak of almost 60 days going, I needed a little more exercise. So I decided to go to the gym and get on the bike for 20 minutes. And I decided to star