Skies.

I have a confession to make. Today I overheard some ladies comparing Florida skies to northeastern skies, and I got so sad I almost couldn't stand it. If I remember right, the words "dark" and "cold" were associated with northeastern skies and the words "blue" and "open" and "sunny" were associated with Florida skies.

I grew up in the sunshine state, so those words describe only one thing for me: home.

Tonight after I got in the car, I rolled the window down and stared up at the big open clear sky, breathing the air in deep. And, I wondered if any other sky could ever be so beautiful, could ever smell so good or feel like home.

This residual state of 'sad' lingered with me into the night, and as I was lying in bed staring at the cealing, I realized how bizarre it is that my emotions can allow me to feel so excited about something one minute and so sad the next. Essentially, I realized how unpredictable emotions can be, not just in the midst of change, but any time.

In that quiet moment, the Lord was good. He helped me to take my thoughts captive and to dwell instead on truth: on His nature and on the ways He has been faithful in every tiny detail of our lives, on his promise to not leave me or forsake me in the midst of this detail. And, I share this here as I know a few of you have dealt with and have written about this very issue, and I have been blessed and encouraged by your candor. When dealing with the emotional ups and downs of life - of big things and small, it can be very hard to meditate on things that are true, things that are lovely, things that are excellent and are worthy of praise.

So, as I fall asleep tonight, my prayer is that the Lord would once again be teaching me in a very practical way to meditate on his truth and to simply and completely trust him. And, it is my hope that eventually, the gray skies of Pennsylvania will be able to feel like a new kind of home to me.