thank you

On Sept. 27, sitting in a beautiful public park in Salt Lake City, I wrote this as I waited for my former roommate and wonderful friend Katherine to finish her rounds as a bonafide doctor at a clinic down the street.

The grass on which I'm sitting has recently been cut, but is still thick enough that if I spread my fingers and push down, I lose sight of my fingernails. Don't you just love lush grass like that? I do, and in this time of extreme drought in Texas, I love it now more than ever.

There's giant trees spread out around me, but I can still see mountains to my left and a lake in front of me. People ride their bikes on the path behind me, ducks quack loudly from the water. The sky is a vibrant blue and wind rustles my hair against my neck every few moments.

In a word, this moment is beautiful. And yet, with all my being, I know the one who created this beauty values people above it. And I know that I should follow suit.

Just as the mighty one created beauty to show love in nature, he created us to love each other well. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands." Psalm 19:1 How comforting to know that I - and you - are more precious and valuable than these mountains, this clear day?

It makes me want to squish my funny-looking toes in the grass, raise my hands to the Heavens, twirl around and whisper "thank you."

Thank you, thank you.