The Simple Things

I'm a California girl. I really am. I know I've been somewhat back in Phoenix for 5 months now, but at heart, I'm a California girl. I like tanning and tofu, date shakes and Disney, palm trees and Pinkberry, blonde highlights and every color flip-flops. But what I love most about California is the beach. I lived a mile and a half from Huntington Beach. Literally step outside my door, walk a few minutes, and you're in the surf. I never knew how much I could miss that.

Seeing as it had been way too many months since I had seen California, the beach and my friends, I decided to spend a long weekend in Orange County this past weekend. There was a church I wanted to visit there (Free Chapel OC) so it seemed like a perfect weekend to go and fit in as much as I could into my schedule. So I got to hug some of my best friends, eat tofu at the best Vegan restaurant ever, ran by Disneyland to see some pirates, and even got in a little shopping at South Coast Plaza. Sunday afternoon, before church, I went to my friend Mark's nephew's birthday party (catch that?) in the hills. It was just a bunch of cute kids playing in an adorable neighborhood as their parents sat laughing and munching on food. Babies were passed around. Guitar Hero was discussed. And iPhones were examined. All on a perfect cloudless day as palm trees swayed in the breeze. Everything felt peaceful and calm. Like this is how everyday life should be.

I left a little later to head to church, and seeing as I had about 30 minutes till the service I took the "long way" up Pacific Coast Highway starting in Laguna Beach and working my way up to Corna Del Mar. The sun was just starting to set when I hit the PCH in Laguna and the contrast on the picture in front of me, an orange sky, purple waves, and black shadows of people walking on the sand, seemed like right out of a movie. I hung a right unto the PCH and winded up the hill and around the corner. The jagged hills broke off in the water and the purple waves rolled unto the crest. It was breathtaking. We all know that I am a sensitive person, but literally tears formed in my eyes at the beauty in front of me. It felt like a gift to see the vastness of the ocean slowly falling unto the shore. I was grateful I had those few minutes to remember how amazingly complex our world is and yet God holds it all in His hands. My life is not figured out right now, but it doesn't matter. God knows it all. That's all I need.

My old roommate and friend Rachel called me the other day and left me the cutest message. She said, "I am making coffee right now and thinking of you. I know how much you love coffee. You have a way of making small things like that special." I smiled when I heard it and saved it. I heart my friend. I was thinking about her words and realized how true they were. I love a big surprise or announcement, but it is the small things in life that count. A baby's laugh. A parent's hug. A good book and a cup of tea. A friend who will hold your hand when you cry and not say a word. A funny text message. These are all things to be valued and treasured; they are what life is made of. The million little things will far outweigh the few big things in the end.

So tomorrow, when it seems like life has got you down, look for the small things you can put in your box and be grateful for them. It might not be tofu or flip-flops, but you know what they are. And make the simple things special.