I love my family. I love having my kids all home for Christmas. Anders flew in from Boston, and we rarely see him. What a treat. And Matt drove in from Virginia. Matt is always a joy, and he brings his wife, an extra bonus. I love my daughter in law, Karissa, with her constant kindness towards me and her kindred spirit, and sense of fun. I love my Asherel, teenage angst and all, her gentleness and sweetness so apparent as she cradled the little bunny recently. And then Arvo and I went disc golfing with Anders while the others shopped. We lost two discs but it was a beautiful sunny day, and the fresh air and exercise made us all happy. I had a pinched nerve so every toss of the disc was accompanied by a stab of pain. Nonetheless, It was fun for me (despite my horrible skill and the twinge of pain) just to be with my loved ones. I know we will not always be able to gather like this, but for this brief moment in history, my life feels very close to perfect.
I wish I could bottle it and save it for the inevitable hard times, or send a little of the sense of peace and joy to sprinkle on Newtown. But since I cannot, I will try very hard to enjoy it, and praise God for the glimpses of Heaven He sends now and then. There are certainly enough glimpses of evil, but I pray that the hopeful message of Christmas will instead pervade my thoughts- in the end, the baby wins. Like my disc golf game, the blessings are often accompanied by pain along the way here on earth. It is best to try to focus on the blessings. But to all those who believe, perfect peace and perfect joy await us. In the interim, thank you Lord for the manifold blessings falling gently like snow around me- may I notice the beauty and not the cold.
Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org
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