Contentment

Contentment has never really been a problem with me, because I have been blessed to OVERFLOWING by living in wonderful places and knowing wonderful people. And I am certainly content here:
Here where I have two sweet roommates and a room of my own.
Here where it is apple season and I can bite into a juicy, tangy Gravenstein. I am sure there is nothing in the world quite like that.
Here where the sound of drunk people and pounding music soothes me to sleep.
Here where I can take a bicycle ride up the hill and end up in a pastoral landscape of rolling hills, a meandering river, and vineyards and orchards.
Here where my good friend and I can drop by my brother's dorm room one evening and end up singing worship songs to his guitar playing.
Here where the harbour disappears twice a day, as the tide goes out and turns it to mud.

But I also miss CanIL. I am content here but here is also a place where:
No-one else knows IPA, really.
I have to explain what Wycliffe does.
There is no mountain in the distance.
I miss the people I knew: the barefoot Norwegian. The girl who spoke so fast I always had to listen very closely. The girl with the crazy, curly hair. The one who always said "y'all" and cooked with quinoa. The guy who would exclaim "You're doing it wrong!" and then "headdesk." The polo-shirt wearing guy from Florida. The people I played frisbee with... the people I ate with... the people in my classes. The people I love. When I think about these people, I get nostalgic. Y'all know who you are. I love you all, CanIL summer 2012 people.

But then I remember the people here who I love.
The pastor's kid who rides a motorbike, and goes on walks with me.
The one from Saskatchewan who asks "is this a Maritime thing?"
The enthusiastic Bible camp leader who loves frisbee.
The smiling pastor who has so much faith.
The apple-farming economics major.
And of course the saw duang-playing, unicycle-riding, computer science-studying brother I have.

And THAT is only the beginning. God has placed so many people in my (and your) life who I am so thankful for.

Why not tell your friends and family how much you love them, loving recklessly, as Jesus instructed us to do?