sparrows.

Today, a strange thing happened. I felt loved, and beautiful, and seen. It was fascinating. It was as if the people around me truly saw who I was, or maybe they saw past who I was. I felt encouraged, and uplifted, and grounded. I felt cared for.
Daniel is my pillar of fire. I don't know why. When we all pray, and there's so many of us, I struggle to listen to each word spoken. I struggle to not slip into my own conversation with God, to really focus on their prayer. When Daniel speaks, it's like arrows. I can't shut out his words, I can't draw away or think of anything else. They ring clearly in my mind, calling me to a better way of life, calling me to a purer devotion. I can never ignore what he says, and for that I am grateful. I never had words for it before tonight, but Dan said it perfectly as we read in Numbers - God still sends pillars of cloud and pillars of fire, they just might be in people or situations or moments. Mine is a person; a voice I can't ignore.
It's strange. I'll never tell him any of this, because we've deemed it odd to say these things. But God speaks to me through him. God speaks to me as he puts his hand on my shoulder and tells me I'm a sweetheart, and as he truly listens to what I have to say. God tells me I am his child, that I am cared for, that I am seen, through this kid. Through Daniel's eyes, I see that I have worth, not because Daniels sees it as such but because God does. Thank you, Lord. Thank you that you still send pillars of fire to remind us that we are beloved.