Elorra

The blue theatre that is the sky turns red, then black, then orange

And as smoke signals, the white clouds sign their endless autograph

Our dizzy planet spins under the steady North Star,

Laughing as the sun goes by, again and again … and a comet, sometimes, too

In the dazzling revelation of God’s glory, who can journal a day or fathom a year?

Try as we might, what can we remember?

I do know that a child learned to read, and to swim, and to sing

I recall sweet prayers, and sand castles and somersaults

I remember ski slopes, and small groups, and reading in bed

Friends have moved, presidents were elected, and there were weddings and funerals

But mostly, I remember you

The carousel spins, but you stay beside me

The universe changes before our eyes

We notice it together

As I witness this world unfold, you witness it with me

And our particular viewpoints may never be that important in the grand scheme of things

But your viewpoint and your companionship along the way are very important to me

So important that I cannot divide them from my experience of life itself

So, here’s to you, my dear friend, my wife

I thank you for all you mean to me

I look forward to sharing more of our lives together

As much as I anticipate the morning, the lightning storm, or the changing season,

As much as I anticipate every single wonderful thing that is to come,

I will only be waiting to ask you what you thought

And to place your experience next to mine

In my journal, my memory, my life

-Travis wrote this for our anniversary May 5, 2008

Whoever said the world is small never drove across Texas. Or maybe the world is small and only Texas is big, but I don't think so. The world is big like my husband said. We just live big lives. These big and busy lives overlap and intersect all the time giving us the illusion of a small world. But don't be fooled. Life is not full of coincidence. God is in charge and He can make the impossible seem so simple.

The kids and I spent the week at the HEB Foundation camp. It was so wonderful. All I can say is God is good and I don't deserve His favor on my life. But it brings me great joy to have my kids experience divine blessing. I'll have to share more about camp later, but for now, a picture should be worth a thousand words. The kids are standing above the Frio River where the camp is. Everything was lush and green. We saw all kinds of creatures and plants. I especially enjoyed the birds. The kids liked the caterpillars. We all loved the water. It was the most refreshing water. It put Barton Springs to shame. I just can't describe the beauty.