Sick & loved.

The way that this dialogue set from the tv show "Parks and Recreation" captures life for us right now, is a little too accurate. Sometime towards the end of last week, Adam started getting sick (boo) and then by the time I was safely 3 hours north of home and leading my first retreat as the DCE at Faith, attempting to make good impressions on a group of new high school students...I started getting sick too. Both of us are not really sick 'enough' to not do things, such as work. Adam said it best in one of his tweets this week:

When I'm sick I like to pretend I feel better than I actually do because somehow I just know that mentality actually has curative properties. I don't know why I just used the phrase 'curative properties' in a sentence, lame. Really, I just wish I could wave some kind of magic wand and cure us both. Since the magic wand option hasn't really come to be, we are just trucking along. Attempting to take care of each other (this has included Adam making an emergency grocery store for Saltine crackers so I could enjoy some soup - my husband is awesome) and convincing each other that work is still doable and telling youth about Jesus really is important. :)

Despite sickness, I was blessed with a great weekend of Snow Camp with a group of my new middle school & high school students. We were at a place called Camp Luther - and spent most of the weekend outdoors doing snow things (cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, broom ball, running around in the snow...etc). These snow activities also meant the weekend was a repeat pattern of bundling up/going outside/unbundling/drinking hot chocolate. As someone who prefers warmer weather I have officially given up at looking at the weather forecast since I know it is just going to be cold. I know that I am in the right career path however if I can see snow & coldness as part of how God calls me to serve Him & love others.

Over the weekend and the beginning of this week, I have appreciated reminders from God of how His love for us endures all. Me enduring snow or being sick is nothing compared to what He endured for us on the cross - all so that He could say "I love you" and nothing can separate you from me. I pray that whatever you are struggling with this week - maybe sickness like Adam & I or maybe, probably, it's something else all together - that you are blessed with reminders of God's love through it all.