July 1

After church this morning, as I was wrangling Isaac and Brady, I looked over and saw Abby standing in a circle of high schoolers. (I was a little late snapping this pic but you get the idea.)

Tears stung my eyes because though I knew she'd connected well with some of her fellow travelers this past week, I realized in that moment --when I saw my child who shies away from people actively engaged in conversation with "scary high schoolers"-- that she'd really bonded with them on a deeper level. I spent a lot of time quietly praying that she'd come out of her shell, and feel so blessed that that desire was granted.

She's an amazing, amazing person, that daughter of ours. And I'm so thankful that she opened herself up and allowed more people the chance to see those incredible traits in action.