Occasionally, life hands us a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (you may remember the children's book with just such a title).  Those days seem to require a great degree of endurance just to survive.  In those moments, we are grateful that time relentlessly moves on---if for no other reason than to bury that kind of day behind us and start over with a new one.  

But there is another kind of day, very different and very special.  

There is a day where everything seems to just go well.  When, for a brief moment, we escape worry, stress, frustration, and weariness and life seems like the precious gift it ought to be, rather than a heavy burden.  

Saturday was just such a day.  

Ezra slept through the night, and his Mom and Dad woke refreshed to a beautiful, unusually cool morning.  We played our favorite music, while Ezra ate breakfast of banana pancakes and we all pretended it was the weekend, and indeed, it was!
 (Jack Johnson reference)  

We decided to take a walk together through our neighborhood, greeting the friendly smiles and cooes our neighbors gave to Ezra as we passed by.  Audrey's favorite destination lay ahead---the local coffee shop.  After enjoying a cup of coffee, we walked back to our home.  The music resumed and filled our living room.  Ezra took his nap and we enjoyed one of those rare times for a husband and wife where we really connected and communicated with each other.  

We read our Bibles and asked questions aloud, while drinking smoothies.  Discovering for ourselves in new and exciting ways, the incredible goodness and love of God.  

The confidence grew in us both, that God loved everyone we had ever met more than we did. 

And in that moment, trust grew in our hearts.  

There is no one we would rather have in charge of the universe and the world, than Him.  

We were as baffled as usual by so many questions unanswered, by suffering unrelieved, but for a moment, we knew He was good, and He could handle what we could not. 

And that thought made us just a little bit more brave.   

It was late morning.  And we had friends coming for lunch.  We began to clean the house and get ready.  I headed to the Foundation to meet our friends, who did not know the way to our house.  They were running late, but instead of my usual impatience, I received the time as a gift.  I happily sanded the wood for the bench I was making for our home.  Sweaty and dusty, and very happy, I met our friends and led them to our home for lunch.  

Our friends were one of the Homes at Faithful Heart.  They have 5 beautiful, young girls with the foundation and two cute little boys of their own.  Today, we were making pizza.  The pizza, alas, was not very delicious, but we had so much fun making them it didn't seem to matter.  After lunch it was time to ride bikes and play badminton and volleyball.  Laughing, sweating and playing together, I had an epiphany: I was happy and content.  There was nothing more I would ask for in that moment.  

Then we shattered the florescent lights.

We diligently cleaned up the mess and I asked the girls how to say in Thai that we accidentally broke the light bulb.  

But nothing could dim our spirits that day.  Later we ate ice cream talked about school and life.  The owner very graciously said not to worry about the bulb. The girls said goodbye and returned home. 

 As I walked back to my home, I thought about those girls smiling faces and the life before each one of them.  I found myself thinking in the possessive verb tense.  

They weren't 'those' girls, or 'the' girls, they were 'our' girls.  

A wise person once said; "You cannot love poverty, but you can love someone who is poor."

I wasn't playing the hero, I wasn't dedicating my life to a cause, I wasn't sacrificially giving up everything to alleviate poverty.  

I was playing badminton with some girls I had begun to really care about.  Suddenly, it seemed very important that they were safe, loved, given opportunities, and happy.  

That is what it means to love.

And God does not call you to love mankind, but individual people 

(thank you Pastor Dave & Peanuts comic strip).

The key to charity or love is not giving (though that is important) but knowing.  

I returned home and kissed my wife.  Ezra was down for nap number two and I wanted to go work out.  I physically pushed my body and left my mind free to consider all these things.  

I returned home to find a message from my Mom saying she had surplus chocolate cake.  She had me at chocolate.  We went for an impromptu dinner together and enjoyed cake, and playing with Ezra afterwards.  We returned home, eager for our beds and the gift of sleep.    

It was a fine Saturday.  My body was weary, my mind was peaceful and content.  

Problems would come, as sure as the sun would rise.  But the way seemed more clear before me:

There is only one man who can save others.  I am not called to save, but to love.  And to love I must know.  And to know I must open my heart and my home.  

This is the way to life and the way to happiness.  

May you be blessed to find them both!

In love, 

Matt, Audrey, & Ezra