Reflection on joy not earned or promised

In the last few weeks, our hearts have ached in response to Haiti's overwhelming losses, particularly as our church family has a long-standing relationship with a church there - a church family that has lost many lives, including a whole generation of pastoral leadership. More locally, we also attended the funeral of the child of some close friends. Such suffering, regardless the scope, reminds is that this world on so many levels is "not the way it's supposed to be," and it moves us to long more single-mindedly for our Lord's promised Hope, where sin, suffering, and death are finally extinguished.

In the face of these heartaches, it feels disjointed to report, honestly, that these are truly happy times for our immediate family. For this we're thankful. We have a good amount of quality time together; we're healthy; our relationships are strong and laughter fills our home almost daily. Nowhere are these gifts promised to continue in this life, and so we're trying to appreciate them with gratitude.

Legos are a recent favorite. We call the picture below... "Now, how can I get this thing to stay put?"

Here are a couple good of shots pre and post snow...

And don't look now, but Will's got his eye on little miss Ella, my college roommates' daughter. Too bad she lives in Fairfax!