We are often wandering the house calling our own phone. Meg had mine – asking the girls – asking me – if anyone had seen or taken her phone. Unfortunately our phones are always on silent vibrate (can’t have our ring tones sound during the sermon). So it is not just a listening game, but a feel. And the floor was shaking Ivy. She flipped over Ezekiel’s toddler size chair. No phone on the carpet, but she realized the chair was shivering. After unzipping the chair and reaching into the cushion foam – there was Meg’s phone. The one person she didn’t ask was the one who hid her phone…

In the office Meg will occasionally leave a post-it note of encouragement. I will find them on my desk. But this week I found one near the double decker couch, on my book shelf. It went unnoticed for a few days, but as I reached for a book there was Ivy’s message…

The past few weeks – coming out of family flu, the shooting in Florida, random church stuff – I needed a word of encouragement. I think a lot of people are wandering in life and searching for a message of hope. In search of love. It might seem like we seek some really huge act of grace. But when I found Ivy’s simple, unexpected post-it my outlook changed.

Pause a moment and ponder. Who is sad, broken, angry… who is wandering. Who needs to hear a message of hope. Take a moment and write a card. Stick a post-it note. Send a text. Remind them that they are the special.