#TheLittleMoments

I love reflecting on the positive moments. It takes me out of the mundane of the week and puts me in a happy place.
 This week's Little Moments...

 1. Reconnecting with an old friend. We spent a year at the same Bible institution in Florida in 2000-2001. Then we both got married. We were great friends. But we lost touch. This week she reached out to me and it's as though we didn't miss 16 years of talking. I love friends like that. Makes my heart happy.

 2. Planning for Colombia. As the team just returned in June, I've seen the progress made since I was there a year ago, and speaking with the team leader for the upcoming trip makes me excited and makes my heart happy.

 3. The upside of having a minor surgery  and not being able to do everything I usually do? Reading! I love to read, but life is so busy, I don't get to do it as much as I would like. Do you ever read a good book and get sad when it is finished? I do. I had time to read over the last week and have savored the seconds of it all over again.

 4. My dog, Bronco. His name suits him. He bounces around like a bucking horse full of energy. But he is so loving. He made me smile more than once this week by placing his jowels on my lap, loving on me with his big puppy dog eyes. He usually doesn't settle down for much, but it's amazing what a dog can sense. And the fact he multiple times stopped his rambunctious play to give me a brief cuddle was evidence of a dog's sense of understanding. He is ready for me to be back running, though....

 5. My health. Getting my wisdom teeth pulled has not been a very fun experience. But honestly, life could be so much worse. And the truth is, I am in very good health, and I am grateful for that. Sometimes I need a little perspective to remember that I really am blessed in that way of life.

 6. Lent.
 It's the season of  Lent. Growing up, that was not a word I understood or was super familiar with . We celebrated Easter of course, but we never called it the Lent season (that I can recall). I suppose because Lent was more of a Catholic foundation and we weren't Catholic. But I have come to appreciate and embrace the entirety of the season. I love having those 40+ days beginning Ash Wednesday that lead up to celebrating the time of Jesus's death and resurrection. I think we should spend more time year round focusing on it, but the idea that it is laid out during this time makes sense. This year I am focusing more on reading the scriptures. It has been a story I have read and known my whole life. But in learning history about the Roman culture, I've come to appreciate that aspect, and so I am going to spend these 40+days digging into those things I may never have learned. Even when we hear something our whole lives, we can always have a new perspective and gain new appreciation. I am looking forward to this. I also am spending this time focusing on preparing my heart for Colombia. My first time around, I spent a lot of prayer over the trip. And now that I am going again, my perspective is different, but I want to make sure I am in tune with what God wants to teach me this time around.  It's important to do always, but Lent seems a good time to be in tune with His preparations of my heart.

   It's the Little Moments that make up the memories.