I leave at O’dark-thirty in the morning for the airport and will be in the air (Lord willing) when I normally would be posting my morning thoughts. I have no idea what our travel day will look like; truly, with an almost-preschooler anything – ANYTHING – is possible. So, I sat down to write something tonight.

There is a reason I do this in the morning. I have pretty well-rested brain cells in the a.m., my thoughts typically make sense and I’m as fresh as I’m likely to be in a given day.

Not so, at night.

Not so, right now.

Lilli and I have spent the evening telling the ranch and all its people and animals goodbye. We’ve hugged and laughed and giggled, and while no one was looking, one of us may have wiped a tear or twenty-seven away on the sly. I lugged my camera around with me and shot the last of these pics of her at this age, in this place.

(I believe I’ve mentioned to you, before, my sappiness. It’s at DEFCON 1, if that gives you any indication)

I just loaded those pics a few minutes ago with something else for this post in mind, but then I found this. The very last picture I took.

There are some photos that really don’t need any extra thoughts or embellishment. For me, this is one. It’s a benediction to this special time with our girl, a pure and simple thank you to the One who blows my senses and my heart completely away on a regular basis…the One who destroys me with His goodness again and again.

Sometimes you don’t really need to find an application in everything that happens to you. You don’t always have to search for the deeper meaning. Sometimes you are just overcome with the exquisite simplicity of life and it’s enough.

Really, it’s everything.

“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.” James 1:17 NLT