Be the Parade.

Dear Bob Goff,

I just got back from a family vacation on an island just north of Seattle called Whidbey Island.  Maybe you've been there?.  If not, go.  My boys and I arrived by way of the Washington Ferries just in time for the 4th of July, & the sun arrived just in time too.  It houses a Navy base, so in general, the island is very patriotic.  Fireworks and parades are a part of everyday life I think.

Jeremy, Brooke, Baylee & Boden

Uncle Terry & Papa Roy

Grandma Ginny

 On the morning of the 4th, the street in front of my grandparent's condo in Oak Harbor was blocked off.  Chairs lined the street for at least a mile.  People carried flags, dressed in appropriate colored clothing, and held buckets to catch candy.  The energy  was contagious.  We drove to the south end of the island to a small community called Maxwelton.  Cones blocked the streets, chairs were set up, and the patriotism of our country was everywhere you looked.  Again, you couldn't help but stand (or sit) proudly as an American.

Amy, Grandma, Brooke, Brianne, & Michael

My family found a great place to watch the parade from - not far from my cousin Brooke's home.  There was a slight breeze and the salt air blew in buckets of joy.

Alycia & Boden

Brooke, Audrey, Brianne, & Baylee

Yes indeed.  Buckets of joy, smiles, & laughter - everywhere you looked.

Mack & Mor-Mor

Bay

Mason & Mor-Mor

Audrey

We may have looked like every other spectator there, but we weren't.  We were oozing joy & hopefully leaking a little bit of Jesus wherever we went, with whoever we talked with.

Dad

Best treat of the day!

And throughout the whole entire parade, as I cheered & collected candy from the sidelines, all I could think about was your book.

Maybe this had something to do with it:

So, for the rest of the day, even after the parade along the beach front ended, we were the parade.  

My  family didn't stop living just because the candy stopped coming. 

Their attitudes and view on life didn't go from great to boring in a matter of minutes.

Mason & Dan

The afternoon brought full stomachs, cool drinks, naps, and time together.

Boden

Dad & Mom

Audrey Grace

Dan & my boys ... racing!

It gave us a chance to catch up with the characters that have made our stories worth reading.  

The characters that have seen us at our best, and at our worst.  

The characters that love us anyway & are happy to be a part of our story. (most of the time)

Grandma, Uncle Terry, Aunt Merrie, Papa & Dad

Each chapter in your book says this in one way or another ... Life is not a spectator sport.

We're either in ... or we're out.  


And when we're in, well, we're not saying or doing things, calculating how it will make us sound or look to others.


We're fighting the temptation to merely have the right wrapper.


And instead, we're exactly who He made us to be.

Loving, living, and saying YES to God.


With thanks as I re-read Love Does {again},

Lindsay

(italicized words taken from Love Does)