praise.

My dad raised me with a deep appreciation for God's glory in nature.





We spent a lot of time watching storms when I was little, which gave me both a great respect for the Lord's power and great trust in the safety He provides. We took countless walks along the river and through the woods, which rooted in me a full desire to experience creation first hand. I remember observing wildlife together and breathing deeply the earthy scents of the trees and grass and dirt. My dad called forth beauty all around for me to see, and each time he did, he'd say, "See how beautiful He's made everything? Praise God." I heard my dad say "Praise God" more often than I heard him say "Brush your teeth."



What I didn't experience of my dad was a longing to engage in creation. My dad never waded out into the river just for the sake of feeling the water swirling around him and feeling the sand between his toes. His reasons for gardening were for aesthetics and landscaping, never to intentionally be a part of what God does in a tiny seed placed into His earth. My dad didn't really enjoy camping or putting on sunscreen or swatting at mosquitos or roasting s'mores. He didn't experience a thrill in reeling in a big fish. He was very contented to watch the beauty of creation go by his front window and simply observe it.

And don't get me wrong- there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, for a 68 year old man, I think that was probably perfect for him. But I was crafted with a need for more than observation. I need to engage. What's great is that my dad gave me his ability to see beauty everywhere and praise Jesus for it, and now I get to learn on my own how to become a part of it.




Things I'm appreciating about summer:

• Home-grown veggies from the garden.
• I HAVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF A TAN RIGHT NOW. If you know me, you know that's impressive.
• When it rains and I let Munchie outside, she comes in smelling like a wet puppy. I love that.
• Days at the cabin when my hair is literally wet all day.
• Waking up and not knowing for sure which of the things I did yesterday is making my muscles hurt so darn bad today.
• Books. So many books.
• Camping out with friends, guitars, and bonfires.
• Returning home to help lead worship in the church community that raised me.
• Outdoor concerts in the company of thousands of other believers. There is almost nothing sweeter.
• Reading on the deck with my feet propped over the pool.
• Coaching the little ones as they learn beginner water skiing out on the lake.
• SUN TEA.
• Catching my first fish.

Except, I'm not so on my own... I've had so many opportunities to engage this summer. Since my adoption, my engaging side has finally been given a chance to stretch its little legs and go for a stroll because the Wicklunds are all about summer living. And I'm jumping right on that band wagon. This may not be the "best" summer I've ever had. And it's definitely not the easiest. A lot of it is still really new, and my poor heart is confused about why I'm not at camp, or at the very least why I'm not at 699 Janesville St. with a cat, a dog, and my daddy. But it's the little things I'm appreciating this year. All of creation is precious and beautiful, and there's a lot of it to take in. Praise God.



                           Psalm 139

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.