August 9

Tomorrow marked the final day of summer vacation for the brositos.

Brady's middle school orientation was last week before we went to Chicago, but today it was Isaac's turn to explore the high school. As I drove him over to his session, he admitted that he was a bit nervous. I assured him that he'd see his friends and get adjusted to being on a bigger campus over time. At the very moment he opened the door to get out, his longtime good friend Tyler rode by on his bike. Isaac visibly perked up, the two exchanged brief hellos, and my boy walked toward the building with a spring in his step. 

And I smiled to myself, because it's just like God to work that way. Isaac needed some reassurance, so who is the first person he sees on campus? One of his best friends. (And lest you may think this wasn't near-miraculous, the school has nearly 2,800 students so the odds of it happening were not high.) So I'm grateful for that mood-altering moment.

And I'm also grateful for a bit of news from Wheaton: Abby's roommate Hannah is an international students who hails from South Korea, so she was able to access their room a day early and sent Abby a photo. And guess what? My girl who was worrying over having to live in a tiny room with someone she hardly knows (like most college freshmen) was assigned a triple with just the one roommate, so they'll have significantly more space than she was expecting. And she's pretty darn happy about it. Given how concerned she'd been, I am so thankful for such an unexpected blessing.

God is indeed the supreme giver of good gifts, and both of these events reminded me of that truth today.