Crossing Off the List.

Summer in Chicago is coming rapidly to an end. There are so many things on the summer to-do list that have yet to be completed and probably will not. Sigh. Oh, well. There's always next summer.

One of the things officially crossed off that list, though, was getting together with my dear friend, Maggie. Mags and I went to Moody together, were great friends freshman and sophomore year, and then life happened and got in the way. We were still friends, absolutely; but the kind that doesn't see each other often, occasionally, or really at all. But last night, we remedied that. Maggie came over, made me Chinese food, and ate ice cream in the pool with me. It was glorious.

And there's something that I learned last night. See, Maggie and I talked… and I mean, really talked … for the first time in probably a year. We rehearsed the last months of our lives, telling of lessons and memories and struggles and heartaches. We relived the last four years of Moody, recalling friendships and picnics and boys and girls and drama and laughter. We looked back, I guess you could say. And there's something that happens when you stop to do that. I learned that when I stop and talk about where He has taken me in the last year, in the last four years, in the last ten, I remember:

He's good.

When I look back, there's no helping it. I can't deny or ignore or flag His goodness. Nor do I want to. Our world is full of cliche sayings like, "leave the past behind you" or "never look back". But I think right now it's taking that looking back to move forward. As I struggle to trust Him with this next year - and yes, a struggle it is - I am propelled toward faith when I recall His past goodness. Seeing Him back there reminds and encourages and enables me to trust Him up there. And even right here. Maggie helped me remember this. Today she'll probably read this and smile to herself a little. And I hope you do, friend. Because I've decided getting together with you will not be crossed off the summer to do list. Probably ever.