Let me start with the not so serious...today was Crazy Day for spirit day. For crazy, I think dress. You can't see the orange flowered rain boots very well, but they're there. This is my friend Heather, and you can see the reason I love the people I work with! I teased her hair in the copy room this morning while she made copies (you can't see how monstrously huge it is b/c of the brown bookcase behind her, but it's BIG). I was good until I pulled into Jen's parking lot. It hit me; I walk her in and I'm dressed insane. "So, Jen, want to walk in by yourself today?" "No, Mom, I want you to come." "But Mommy's dressed really crazy." "It's okay, Mommy, I love you anyway." Deep breath...I got several stares. One lady caught on, "Oh, it must be some spirit day at the high school." "Yes, it's Crazy Day."

More serious...yesterday was Grandparent Lunch at Jen's school. Nina (my mom) and Nana (Jer's mom) both came to eat with Jenna. A little girl sat across from them. So, Nana said, "So, are you a friend of Jenna's?" She replied, "No, Jenna won't play with me," to which Jen hung her head, a trait when something's true, but she knows it's wrong. Jenna leaned over, "Nana, she's not nice." I asked Jenna about it later, and she told me, "Mom, she doesn't make good decisions and has to sign the book. I don't want to be her friend." Okay, I got a little proud of her - doesn't want friends who are rule breakers - that's a good thing. So, we discussed how it's good to be friendly and nice, but you don't have to play with them. :)

Serious...this week's study has been to focus on Believing God is Who He Says He is. Why do you believe in God, because if you don't understand that, why have faith in Him. I've just always believed in God, that's how I was raised, but that's not the point of the study. So, I've been thinking. One day I had to list things that "most eloquently express[ed] His existence to [me] personally." My children - pregnancy, birth, perfection of their design, purity of their love; sunsets; flowers; solution to Jen's eczema after every doctor (2 ped. allergists, 2 ped. dermatologists, and 1 ped) told us we'd never figure it out, we had to learn how to live with it. I remember sleeping with her, bawling, restraining her to keep her from scratching, begging God to make it stop, pleading, bargaining. Look at her today!

I know the pictures are both heartbreaking and out of focus - sorry - old camera, very bad photography skills.

So, this morning as I ran, I continued to reflect...how do I know God is who He says He is? It was intimidating as first, but now that I think about it more and more, every detail of my life speaks to the fact that He is who He says He is.