I woke up the other morning in my childhood bedroom and heard a robin sing “cheerio” for the first time in my life. It’s not like I had never heard robins sing before; they were just so common in Ohio that I never paid attention to the beauty of their song. But this time was different. Displaced by the pandemic, the two months we planned on staying with my parents had already stretched into nine, and we still didn’t know when we could go home. It was easy to feel frustrated, or to let discouragement color my days. But the robin’s “cheerio” pulled me from my pondering and replaced my questions with a quick recounting of God’s goodness over the past several months. 

• We spent the end of last summer with family in the U.S. enjoying all of the summer fun that we usually miss out on because that’s our busiest time of year in Peru.  




• Our boys had the unexpected privilege of attending the local Christian school for an entire year, which was a blessing to all of us as they work their way through junior high.  




• I have been greatly encouraged by participating in not one, but three women’s Bible studies (in my own language!) during the year. 




• We marveled at the amazing beauty of each changing season in the northern hemisphere. 




• We’re close enough to family that we’ve been able to spend quality time with five new children who joined my sister’s family in the fall. It wouldn’t have been the same trying to get to know them on Zoom! 

As I lay there in bed listening to the robin sing his joyful morning “cheerio,” I thanked God for the reminder to count my blessings - both the big ones and the small. Yes, God forgives my sins, heals me, and redeems me from the pit. He also satisfies my desires with good things, which on this beautiful spring morning meant waking to the robin’s song.