Shema yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai echad.

Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God; the LORD is One.

Last night we gathered, the girls and I, first around the table (which is where the best fellowship and most sacred moments happen, even if the table is a kitchen island and the meal is waffles), and then around each other:

sprawled on the couch, the chairs, the floor;
settled under blankets of woven wool, quilted blocks, sweatshirt material;
surrounded by Bibles, journals, pens, markers, paper, all manner of glorious things.

And we read Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Just six verses.

Just one hundred words.

A lifetime of truth and wisdom and grace and exhortation.

We read it, listed it, drew it, sorted it, organized it, prayed it, considered it, breathed it.

And then summed it up thus:

Hey! Listen!
All of me must
LOVE all of God and
LEARN all of his word and
LIVE all of his truth and love
in all the ways
in all the places
at all the times.

It was a very, very good night.