Here she comes...

Today was a good day.  I woke up to our kitty, Mr. T, sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.  He likes to get up there and play with the odds and ends sitting there.  It's his way of waking me up.  He knows I'll get up and let him out if he makes enough noise.  And so I did this morning.  Daylight was just breaking.  It's getting light earlier and earlier as we ease into Spring.

I have gotten in the habit of taking daily walks through our property.  Some days, I walk just the fields, and on others, I walk the woods, also.  Most of the time, I walk in silence and just listen to the sounds of nature around me, birds chirping, squirrels and chipmunks scampering in the leaves, the breeze through the trees.  The last few days I've been listening to some music while I walk.  I have about five different versions of "I Surrender All" on my phone.  I play them over and over and even sing along part of the time.  It's a special kind of peacefulness.  I started with those same five today and listened to them each a couple of times.  Then, I decided to listen to some Steven Curtis Chapman.  His "Beauty Will Rise" album is one of my absolute favorites.  It was written in the wake of tragically losing his little girl, and the raw emotion of the songs tugs at my heart.  When each song ends, I think, THAT is the best song.  Then, another one plays, and I wonder how he wrote an even better song than the last.  When you are feeling sad, the words speak to your aching heart.  When you are content, the words remind you of how blessed you are.  I listened today and thought about how bad things can happen to anyone.  Steven is a famous, successful Christian artist and still suffered an unimaginable loss.  I thought of Joey + Rory and the struggle they've been sharing publicly.  When we go through terrible times, it's easy to blame God or question why we are being punished.  Truth is, everybody hurts... sometimes.  (To steal a line from R.E.M.)  All of the songs on the "Beauty Will Rise" album are wonderful, and my favorite song changes, according to my mood.  Two that always stand out to me, though, are "Jesus Will Meet You There" and "Questions."  If you find yourself hurting and wondering how you'll survive, listen to these songs.  You'll receive a blessing, just as I did while walking the woods today.

I got on Facebook just a few minutes ago and learned of Joey's passing today.  I've followed their blog for several months now and have been expecting this sad news for a while.  It was still very sad to hear.  Rory posted a beautiful video of Joey receiving a video message from Dolly Parton recently.  She loved Dolly and had never met her.  It was so touching.  Famous people are just people, too.  It's nice to be reminded of that, occasionally.  And so, tonight, I will cry for this stranger, this lovely lady taken from this world so soon.  My heart will take comfort in knowing that she just made her journey from one shore to another, though, and is rejoicing with her Savior for all of eternity.