Wriggling through the sweaty multitude, we reached the musty smell of the subway track and caught our breath. The seven of us waited with thousands of other firework spectators who had planted themselves at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Ill.
Unfamiliar with the route, I clung to our 9-year-old as we traveled home. At times, all that I could see was the ball cap in my sister-in-law's hand. Her height was such a blessing as I spotted her holding her hat overhead. Walking down sidewalks and stairs, across subway platforms and city streets, hopping up on jam-packed city buses, Tess' hat was my beacon.

It's constant presence reassured me that I was heading in the right direction. When the crowd finally thinned and I walked beside my family, I felt our pace slow down to a relaxing walk.

As we came closer to the house, I thought about how well God keeps us close to himself. No matter the journey, the struggles or the tragedies, He will always lead us. And, He will always make sure that we can find our way. This much I know: nothing and no one will ever separate us from God's love. What an overwhelming reassurance.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Ro 8: 38-39 NAB, NIV)