big.

word of the day: big \ˈbig\ large or big in dimensions

Everything seems bigger in Wyoming.

For instance, Jake and Hannah climbed what looked like a mountain from the ground. Jake told me that once they were on top of the "mountain" they realized how small it was in comparison to the actual mountains around them. It was still an impressive feat nonetheless.

The sky seems bigger in Wyoming. The high elevation makes you feel like you could reach up and grab a piece of cloud. From horizon to horizon during the day, the clouds billow around you and the blue sky seems to stretch forever. At night, the stars are endless. The Milky Way is obvious, the Big Dipper is harder to find, and if you look long enough, you're bound to catch a shooting star. You could hear me humming this catchy Jake Bouma number beside the campfire:

Cassiopeia was a sassy little queen

I asked her for help but she just ignored me.

Well, I was mad, then it all came clear,

You see, it's kind of hard to hear with a dress over your ears.

Unfortunately, I didn't know what Cassiopeia's constellation looked like, so I couldn't find her.

Our family grows bigger in Wyoming. We add about 25 to our, generally quiet, 5 people. It's louder, more chaotic, and altogether marvelous.

It's always hard to come back after vacation, isn't it? Real life looms and responsibility hovers. There are bills waiting to be paid and phone calls to catch up on. I had to wake up before 9:00 this morning in order to put another load of laundry into the washer.

The sky isn't as big here in Iowa. The clouds feel farther away and the thunderstorms last longer. There aren't any mountains to take your breath away and it's so humid that my sunglasses fog up the second I step out of my car.

I was reminded today of a song. And the song was a reminder to see beauty and to find joy in even the seemingly mundane events of vacation-less living. God exists in the humidity just as much as He exists in the snow-capped mountain peaks. He exists in gatherings of few and in gatherings of many. He exists in all stretches of Interstate-80 and beyond.

I choose to try to find Him in all the moments that He provides, big or small.

I am afraid of beginning
‘cause I don’t know how to end
But you told me that the mountain before us
would become a plain in our eyes
So I won’t despise
I won’t despise the day
I won’t despise the day of small things

Even when you tell me…
oh, even then I’m shaking

‘Cause I am afraid of believing
The plans that we make seem so big
But you’ve shown me that we’re never alone
and your spirit will stay by our side
So I won’t despise
I won’t despise the day
I won’t despise the day of small things

-The Day of Small Things, Alli Rogers*

One more thing: Ginny also became smaller upon on our return to Des Moines. After a week of being a ranch dog, she was in definite need of a haircut and bath. I don't think she can appreciate the small things yet...

In fact, as we speak, Jake's trying to force her to sleep on the floor due to an unfortunate incident with some tootsie roll pops this afternoon. It's not going very well.

Oops, I spoke to soon.

There was no keeping her away. Well played, Ginny, well played.

*The Day of Small Things album by Alli Rogers is fantastic and you should definitely check it out.