Heaviness seems to have covered this past week, and while we should push into that tension, the darkness can all too quickly feel like too much. I certainly needed a pick-me-up this week, so I started to look for stories of good things that were happening around the world. I just wanted five minutes to shut off the all too familiar noise of disheartening news stories pointing at the bleakness and brokenness of our world. I serve a good and loving God so I can rest in the truth that he works all things for his glory, but in my feebleness sometimes I just need to physically see and hear the actuality of that goodness. So here are some good (or funny) things happening in our world lately. Hopefully this can fill your week with some much needed joy as well.

1. Everyone should know the story of Leopold the lawn gnome.

This little guy went missing from his normal post in a Canadian garden one day a few months ago, but it wasn't just an average case of your teenagers getting bored and making their own fun. A few months later, this ceramic sojourner was returned home with quite the story to tell: he had taken a cross country trek most of us only dream of taking! He made all the best stops along Route 66 and got to make a quick stop in Mexico before returning to his home country. Look how happy he was! Leopold, however, was not the first gnome to go on a mysterious adventure. This "prank" has been traced back to 1986.

2. Russ stays with us.

For all my Oklahomies out there, dreams do come true! This summer, basketball either gave us some newfound trust issues or it deepened them all together; but don't you worry, Russell Westbrook is here to stay! Committing his time to us for another 3 seasons he said, "Loyalty is something I stand by." Thanks for loving us well, Russell. *cue tears*

3. Morolake Akinosun showed off her psychic powers AND is at the Olympics.

Is that really fair? Really, I just love seeing people achieve their goals and what a better story than this one? Five years ago, she tweeted this and look at where she is now. So stinking cool!

4. Then there's Ellis the Uber driver.

Speaking of the Olympics, one of my favorite stories revolving around the games that I have read lately just shows off how kind and generous people can still be. Uber driver, Ellis Hill, was just picking up a passenger like any other day when he got in to a conversation about how his son was headed to Rio to compete. The passenger, Liz Willock, felt compelled to help Ellis get to Rio to see his son compete live and within just two days Willock had raised the money Hill needed to go!

5. Roy in Oklahoma City.

Finally, I want to tell you a quick story that happened today that lead me to tears. I work a front desk in downtown OKC; this means that I am frequented by the homeless community. With some, I have had the honor of getting to know their stories and others are just passerbys. This morning Roy, a man whom I had never met, came through, and even in his inebriated state he said something that struck me so deeply: People are beautiful and we just don't tell each other beautiful things enough.

I think Roy is right. Let's tell each other more beautiful things. We have to encourage each other more and we should be aiming to out do one another in honor. So, in a world that is full of heaviness and can be so weighty we feel like we just can't get up sometimes, let's all be a little more like Liz, and follow Roy's advice to just love people better.