People are good.

Today I was reminded over and over again that people are good. We can buy into the lie that the world is becoming more corrupt, that people are selfish, that complaining is just what we do or we can endorse the truth the there is good all around us, people want to make a positive impact, and there is always good to be found if you look for it.

I believe that God is actively at work in the world around me. He is showing up over and over again and the harder I look for it the more I see him there. I can see Christ's love in Mikaela's laugh, the way Isaac helps his classmates, the kids playing at recess out my window, a sunny day in the middle of January, or a letter out of the blue from an old friend. Today three of my friends reminded me how good people really are.

Emily and I met up after school at Qdoba. When we got ready to check out with our nachos and burrito she said, "I got this," and treated me to dinner just to be nice. It caught me off guard and I could see she was so happy to do it. It's fun to be on the receiving end of a random act of kindness sometimes. We laughed about the match-making I'm planning for her college roommate, she taught me about Simi, and talked about where we see all of these Senior girls ending up next year. Second semester Senior year is nuts to put it mildly and I hope to soak up as much time with Emily and these girls as I can before they go.

We went to visit Coop, who had just returned home from surgery yesterday. We interrupted her viewing of Soul Surfer, classic, and talked for a bit until she needed to rest again. Coop is a trooper and has such a positive attitude even though this recovery is going to take some time.

Molly Brunner has been one of my favorite people since she was about twelve years old. In the past couple years we have grown closer and we're working on being better at staying in touch between summers. I was so excited when my phone lit up with her name tonight. I smiled through our entire conversation because she just has that effect on people. Molly fits into the category of friends that knows so much of what's going on with my life because of the blog but I wish I could have daily updates of what's going on in her world too. Tonight I got filled in as she told me stories about Dance Marathon Morale, about Theta and the girls in her house, about Kendall and Allison and being excited for a new summer at camp. I got to tell her about the pieces of my life I don't document on the blogosphere and I was reminded of how great she is. I'm so excited to be able to be on staff with her again. I think it's so cool how even though she once looked up to me now I'm learning from her example how to be an incredible counselor.

Colleen has been in Indy all of January because of Depauw's winter term but I hadn't seen her in a week which was making both of us angsty. Her phone died while we were talking and rather than going to find a charger she just got in her car and drove the mile over to me. Nothing beats being friends in person. I don't know if I've ever met anyone who is as good at giving compliments and constant validation the way Coll does. She'll compliment every single one of your Senior pictures, drive four hours to see you before you leave on a big adventure you're nervous about, write you a fifteen page letter telling you why you're great, give unmeasurable amounts of love and attention to the kids in her cabin, and scratch your back even if she would rather not. I aspire to love make people feel loved and understood the way that she does.

People are good. Today be deliberate about looking for that goodness in others.