Lady Bugs.

Rising cortisol levels due to increasing stress rates are giving me a headache at the library. But

1. A cute old man is sitting across from me and reading the paper. Looking at him makes me smile.
2. When washing my hands in the bathroom, a little girl ran up to me and told me she found a lady bug. I told her she was really lucky because lady bugs are lucky! (It's true!)
3. The sun is shining.

Perspective: God is good no matter what I feel, think, or do.

Random Tangent: The quality of toilet paper reveals a lot about the establishment. When soft, plush toilet paper is provided, it says that the establishment cares enough to think of others rather than penny pinching. Also, the way a bathroom is constructed makes a huge difference on cleanliness. More on this later. I wonder if they have bathroom consultants because I could be one. Squirrel!

Prayer.

I started tutoring kids at my k-12th school when I was in 9th grade. Ever since then, I've been working with kids. The first batch were the ones who unknowingly showed me what I was created for because it was so easy, natural, and satisfying. How could I not know and love these children? With any life, there is both joy and sorrow. With children, there were obstacles to overcome, triumph in accomplishment, and sometimes unexpected or painful goodbyes. Through all of this, I've learned that I rather have compassion than a callused heart and that I can always pray. One well-worn prayer is that God would watch over these kids, past and present, and lead them to know Him so that I can see them when I go to heaven. Then I'll ask them how hard math really was or if they ever got better at fooseball.

What a joy it was, then, to see and hear of one kid who I first met when I was 14. (Are we 14 when we're in 9th grade? I'm bad at math and too lazy to calculate. This makes for a bad tutor.) Even then I worried about him and how he'd do. Today, I found out he attending my alma mater, going to my old fellowship, and growing a lot spiritually.

One prayer.
One blessing.
Thank you God for letting me see fruit a decade later.

Rejoice always.
Pray unceasingly.
Give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a