There's a reason this newsletter is late.  And yes, I've been running all over the country this spring doing speaking events, and promoting Nick (thank you to all who have "picked him up"  (he he) and sent me their comments!).  But the real reason I'm so horribly late on this newsletter is --

I'm blank.  I have no words of profundity, no wisdom, no deep spiritual insights.  It's not that God hasn't been working in my life recently - every day I see His hand of grace.  But I have no burning buildings to report, no horrendous travel tales, no bringing-the-wrong-kid to camp stories.  My life has been, uh, gloriously normal.   Okay, yes, a bit insane on the travel/speaking/writing side, but tragedy is the substance of great newsletters.

As a writer, it's a terrible thing to long for tragedy.  Even the Bible tells us that we need to suffer to grow. (ie, Heb 12:7-11).  Recently on the Harvest show, the interviewer asked me about Russia - and I told him about a scary event we had (if you've read Tying the Knot (by the way - repacked and due out in August!) then you know the story of the robbers!).  Tragedy is one of the primary ways we see God's grace in our lives, sufficient, holding us up. 

But maybe tragedy also opens our eyes to other moments of grace, born of "lesser" tragedies: 

Like, two weeks ago, when a good friend of mine agreed to ride shotgun during a two day marathon speaking/traveling event.  Her companionship kept me awake, and well dressed. *g* 

Or, the lady I met on the plane this week, who treated me like a granddaughter and (she even offered me a place to stay!) convinced me to stay in town instead of drive the 3 hours home from the airport (at 11:30 pm) with a story about a family who had recently died after the mother fell asleep at the wheel. (That hit a little close to home.)

Or the recent hardcover Nick books I got in the mail, courtesy of Crossings Book club, stating that  Nick was one of the picks of March.  Yeah!  Not only that, but I just found out that Nick is a FINALIST for the GOLDEN QUILL Award!  Whoo hoo!

Or even the fact that the Saturday before I was to leave on (yet another!) trip, we discovered a flat tire, and were able to talk the local garage into patching it even when they were closed (see, the benefits of living in a small town).  Imagine if that had blown on the way to the airport.

So, see, no tragedies, but lots of moments where God's grace was sufficient.  Because that is the way God's grace works.  In big moments (and you can watch the Harvest show to hear about it!) and small ones, God's grace is always enough. Always my portion.  Always that thing I can trust. 

I pray this month, that you are able to see God's grace in big and small ways in your life.  Look for it, and be blessed.