IWhat Matters

I'm sitting here reflecting on an incredibly long week. Of office boredom and looming freelance deadlines, the approaching holidays, and how I wish it would cool the heck off so the stupid leaves could change!!!

What really matters, though?

What matters is my sweet husband and the way God has transformed our marriage. We were once at odds, now we are best friends, partners, even lovers. In the span of an 8-hour work day, I actually miss the guy as if it had been a week.

What matters is spending time with little ones that warm your heart. Last weekend we took our youngest niece and nephew to the fair and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. My husband took my nephew on the rides and to play games, and I mostly hung back with my baby niece... wiping her nose, mostly. She is the cuddliest little thing, let me tell you. I love their innocence. I am grateful that they have been immensely blessed with a family that adores them. They have educated, adoring parents and every advantage in the world, and aunts and uncles and grandparents that well up with emotion at the very thought of them.

What matters is getting up at 3:00AM to meet my sweet sister, Shaunti Feldhahn at the airport for breakfast before she flies back to Atlanta. She will be in Baltimore doing an event, and I can honestly say she's probably the only person I'd get up in the middle of the night to go see for 2 hours. We haven't seen each other in 3 years and in that period of time, she has walked through so much with me, both good and bad. Giving her a big, long hug will be a treat for me. Knowing that has gotten me through a rough week.

And what matters - last but not least - is my dear friend Linda... Shaunti's Projects Manager. I'm currently ghost writing for Shaunti, so if you want to be technical about it, Linda started out as sort of my "supervisor." She quickly evolved into a close friend, and I am constantly grateful for the loving, encouraging voice mails she leaves me on my cell phone, and the hilarious emails she sends me. She's a smart chick with a lot of spiritual wisdom and the coolest southern drawl I think I've ever heard.

People matter. Love matters. God matters. There is so much crap in the world that I could focus on, but my experience with people that do so has shown me that I don't want to be sucked into that kind of insanity.

What matters to you?