And what am I teaching the people I love to believe they deserve? Love has been in the air lately. I've had the joy of attending a couple of weddings, and every wedding has a way of making me thoughtful. There is something beautiful about watching two people stand before the people they love and promise to choose one another—not just on that day, but every ordinary Tuesday and every difficult season still to come. Whether those promises are made before God or simply before on

Pain is never the gift. The gift is discovering that even after life cracks us, we can create something beautiful enough to let the light shine through.