To the men.

I would like to say thank you to the men.

The men who, regardless of if they have girlfriends or not, treat us as something valuable. The men who open doors and save us with snacks when we're starving. Who bring us whatever it is we forgot. The men who comfort us when we cry and tease us when we're happy. Who are willing to save us from creepers. Who give us jackets and go on adventures with us. Who aren't afraid to be honest with us. The men who love the Lord.

Thank you. Men like you may be considered rare, and we may not always tell you, but you are appriciated, and you are valued. Even if you aren't the ones we choose to date, you give us hope, and we love you. You don't know it, but when you aren't around we talk about how lucky the girl that gets you will be.

Keep it up.

April Fools? I don't think so.

I don't believe in April Fool's Day. Haven't in ten years. It's a little hard to goof around on a day that changed almost every life around me at the time. April 1, 2001 seems like a lifetime ago. But I still remember. I remember the phone call, being sent to a friend's house, the uncertainty, the trips, the world being turned upside down. April 1, 2001 was when I first began to really trust God. It was the first time in my young life that life went out of control, yet I somehow knew that He was there the whole time, keeping the world in line, if even by a thread. I still don't know why it had to happen. Maybe I'll never know. I don't think of Matthew often, but sometimes it's just brought back to me. He should be here. He should be my brother's best friend. They should be playing at the park, swimming in the pool together. He should be in the van when we go to church camp. He should be playing in the band or running around the field. But he's not. April first. It comes every year. And I'll always remember.