Caryn & Jeremy in the Morning

Graduation is such a big moment – standing in your cap and gown, hearing your name called, and walking across that stage. It’s a rite of passage, a moment of pride and accomplishment. But for some students, that moment almost didn’t happen.

Waiting is a purposeful pause. It’s choosing to hold back, not out of laziness, but out of faith – because I trust that God’s timing is better than mine.

Lightning struck their Oklahoma home, and within moments, smoke started pouring in. Mandy, just 11 years old, didn’t even hesitate. 

Studies show that people who attend church regularly are some of the most flourishing folks on the planet. The more often you show up, the better you tend to do in a lot of areas – emotional, social, and even physical health. But if you’ve ever tried to wrangle a couple of kids into church on a Sunday morning, you know it can feel like a battle just to get out the door.

I’ve definitely had surprise Amazon packages before, but nothing like this. Holly opened her door to find 30 giant boxes - over 70,000 Dum-Dum suckers - thanks to her second-grade son and a little too much access to her phone. 

I read something the other day that stopped me in my tracks. It said, “If you chase butterflies, they’ll fly away. But if you plant a beautiful garden, they’ll come to you.”That made me think: what kind of “garden” is my life? 

There are some moments in grief where all the emotions just hit at once - and that was me the other day. I was weepy, irritable, and overwhelmed… and I felt bad that Jeremy was having to carry the weight of that with me. But during one of the songs, I apologized to him, and he stopped me. He said, “You're going through a lot. I think you're going through more than you realize, and it’s okay.” And something about those words made me feel seen in a way I really needed.

Hugo is a mailman in Charlotte, just doing his job and trying to make ends meet like the rest of us. One day on his route, he stopped by a local dental office - Providence PDO - and left a handwritten note. He explained that he’d lost his retainer, and wondered if there was any way they could help.

When Jacen Phillips was born, he had a twin brother named Nathan. Nathan had serious medical complications and passed away when they were just two years old. At Nathan’s funeral, instead of flowers, their family asked for stuffed animals to donate to the hospital that had cared for him.And Jacen never forgot.

If God gave you enough to pay off all your debt – and someone else’s too – who would you choose to help? Now swap “money” for “mercy.” That’s where it gets a little harder, right?