Through the Woods

I love getting surprises in the mail. I especially love getting surprises in the mail that make me and Danny grab each other and cry happy tears.

Today, we were surprised with a sweet little deer print from our friend Melanie. He's from The Animal Print Shop, and he's just sweet as can be.

He'll have a proper home soon, but for now he's on a book ledge. (Is this picture blurry? Why can't I take a decent photo?)

The kicker, what really got the tears rollin' was this note:

Amanda, Danny & Arlo,

The spirit of the deer is gentle, compassionate, and strong. Their deep sense of family loyalty helps them move through obstacles with grace and determination.

I see these qualities in all of you.

Let this little deer join in on your family's journey through the woods... and always be a reminder of how important you are to one another.

With Love,
Mel

I love this so much. It's a reminder that wherever the three of us are going, whatever path we're on, we have each other—and Jesus, are we in love. On a related note, if we make a conscious effort to notice every butterfly and wildflower on our journey through the woods, the ugly times will be a whole lot easier to bear. And nothing in the world can fuse souls like overcoming an obstacle side by side. We know that.

Also, I'd like to clone Mel 7 billion times and give one to everybody—because the world would be a whole lot sunnier.