So much of life can be described by "hurry up and wait." Sometimes I wish that my life were a bit like a movie-- all the exciting parts are there and ya can fast forward thru the boring ones. And yet, most of the living goes on the in the simple day-to-day operations. I am trying to learn to be thankful for the lulls and the "normal" days. In them, sparkle gems of God's love and traces of His fingerprints. Today, I got to see a little of that in the glorious budding of the trees in our neighborhood. I picked my favorites (heehee... or maybe i just picked the ones that i could actually reach :), and they now sit in a lovely pitcher on my dresser to remind me that God cares for the lilies. He has not forgotten me. I just read a sweet lil devo that ended with the words, "Our God is the living God of the Heavens, and even when He delays it is part of His goodness." So, even when I feel that nothing is happening (no sign of a future house or a future knight or a future international adventure on the horizon), this, too, is part of knowing Him. The normal, everyday life is a gift from Him. And I don't want a fast forward button to miss that! :o)