It was a tough weekend at the Tiede house. I won’t go into details, because I suspect you’ve had your share of tough weekends. This post isn’t meant to be a platform for my whining. (You can thank me later for that.)

Rather, I have to tell you that after a really long, ugly day on Saturday, my sweet husband took me by the hand and led me outside. It was dark and he didn’t bother to turn on a light, so I was at his mercy. (Have I ever mentioned that I’m a lights girl? I don’t even like to pass through a room without flipping a switch. We’re the brightest house on the cul-de-sac!)

I thought we were going to sit on the deck, but Mike led me off the deck, around stray swim toys strewn in the yard, to the trampoline. We climbed on and stretched out. He had already made one trek to the trampoline and the stars were bright. Now, however, the clouds had rolled in and the stars were hiding.

I tell you, it felt like we were enveloped in a warm, dark, safe blanket – removed from all that had been hard in the light. We laid there under the expanse of God’s great creation … and we watched a single star peek through a cloud and wink at us as though God Himself were saying, “I see you. Do you see Me? When you are in the dark about what’s next, what I’m doing – still yourself. Remember that I am in your everything. I’m right here.”

This morning I discovered that Mike had sent me a video based on the book we will be reviewing here in a couple of weeks. It was such a fitting picture of our sanctuary on the trampoline that I wanted you to see it.

God in My Everything // Book Trailer (feat. Ken Shigematsu) from Reveal Creative on Vimeo.

With that video was a sweet note from the one whom my soul loves which said, “I love you – who you are and all that you do.  You are so brave!!” (Words of encouragement from my man are priceless.)

I’m reminded that when the going gets tough, you can bounce – or you can be still and be aware of God’s presence … and be grateful.

*Side note: While we were on the trampoline, one of our kids woke up, let the dogs out, brought them back in, and LOCKED THE HOUSE! Our pounding eventually brought them back to let us in. Suffice it to say, they were creeped out that we’d been laying on the trampoline. #win!