There is a list in my mind of my favorite things to read. Those things that make me smile, as I read and think about the words before me.

One of those things is a recipe in my grandma’s handwriting. Raising six kids, grandma knew her way around the kitchen and was able to keep everyone’s tummy full of good things.  Holidays were special eating times, of course, but my warmest memories are of fresh baked oatmeal cookies and banana bread during late afternoon visits. She could whip up a big pot of soup with homemade dumplings in no time. Even at age 95, she was still making things in her tiny apartment kitchen. When I read those little yellowed and stained recipe cards they bring happy thoughts as I remember the joy on her face when she was serving her family.

I also like to read the things my kids write. Some of their school writing assignments get me misty. My son once wrote an essay on his greatest disappointment: not getting to ever meet his grandpa who passed away before he was born.  And then there’s my daughter’s little letters to me, which bubble over with compliments on my cooking or how beautiful she thinks I am—who wouldn’t want to read those–whether I believe it or not, she is convinced of those things!

But it’s the little messages from my husband, scrawled out on post-it notes and stuck on the coffee pot or by the kitchen sink—those are the ones that get me every time. Just a brief word of encouragement, a reminder that he’s praying for me, or a simple “I love you” mean more to me than he’ll probably ever know. Sometimes he’ll send a quick email during the day. It’s that little reminder that he’s thinking of me.

God is constantly thinking of us, too, and His love for us is far greater than we will ever understand. Whether we realize it or not, He sticks those little notes in our path for us to find along the way. Those little ways He says “I love you” are there throughout the day. Did you get the note He sent through a friend’s timely hug? How about the comforting message of hope through the worship song you heard on the radio? Or maybe the verse that came to mind when you needed it, the one you memorized long ago, now triggered by a spoken word or a thought or something you read? His whispered “I love you’s” come to us throughout our busy days, when we most need those reminders that we are cherished, cared for, and loved deeply by the God who made us who we are.

Are God’s words to you among your favorite things to read? They can come in many forms. Be aware today of the little notes God is sending you, and when you receive His “I love you”, savor it, revel in it, and then remember to say, “I love you, too, God!”