Lily, my doodle doggy girl

Always, always, there is beauty to be found. Always. Even on days when my spirits feel like the Seattle rain: drizzly, and grey, there is joy.

Walking Lily has been a joyful part of my days here. I love how she will stop and pick up a prize stick to carry in her mouth. She holds it like it is a bird catch or something, her head tall, she prances down the path. Iused to scold her and take it from her, but now I see she NEEDS that stick and I get a kick watching her with it. She certainly has such a happy face, and exudes joy herself. Her golden fluffy hair blows in the breeze and she has these long long eyelashes that charm everyone! Thanks to Lily, I have met several people while on walks. One day, I was sitting at Starbucks with her reading (she was tethered to the table. If allowed, she would take the table with her to meet another dog, something she is still needing to learn how to "ignore".) Lots of folks stopped by to chat, and ask questions. This is how I met Wendy. Wendy has agreed to read the Bible with me tomorrow. (We eventually moved past talking about Lily to talking about other things :)Wendy has lived in this area awhile, and seems eager to meet with me as I am her.

Lily reminds me of God's unconditional love. She doesn't care that I look like, how my mood is, or even if I have forgotten to give her dinner. Lily is definetely not afraid to be herself. An example of this is how she spreads out and takes as much space as she needs on our bed, a rare invitation to receive, she milks it for all it's worth, acting like it's sheer luxury to be up there. She follows me around, (sometimes a bit annoy especially when I am on the toilet) but is ever so PRESENT. Just like the Lord, present and available all hours of the day.

I never would have figured a fluffy furry friend would bring so much joy, but then again, I am usually surprised by joy.

Simple things

One beautiful thing about being lonely in a new city is that the simplest things stand out for their beauty. Here is a list of late of simple things I am appreciating

Clean pj's and a hot bath
A great book that challenges me to think
Eating out-what a unique privilege to have someone else make your food for you...and for the choice we have in America!
The smile my doggy girl gives me every day-I was always too rushed to notice that she has such a happy face!
Connecting with others and realizing that friends may just come in surprising places-a walk today with a lab technician in Dave's lab at work-What fun to enjoy the sunshine and getting to know each other
Coffee!!! There are oodles of great coffee places here, although the prices are terrible (4.60 with tax for one iced drink-yikes!)


What are your simple joys?

R