Happy New Year

Hello friends,

I know, I know. I owe you all a BIG apology for not updating the blog in two months. I'm so sorry. I will really, really try this coming semester to update at least once a month. I'll try. It's just that the semester passed so quickly...working full-time, taking 2-1/2 doctoral classes, growing our family...I guess I've been a little "busy," though I'm realizing more and more that busyness is a state of mind and really has nothing to do with our schedule. Yesterday I took Orilus to his one-year checkup at Mass General and the doctor had read our Christmas letter (see the following post if you missed it) and she commented on how many changes we've been through this year, how much we have going on. But I, for one, have felt grace and a great amount of peace this semester. I've had a few moments of tears, but mostly, moments of great and abiding Love, a mark of God's work in our family this year.

The grace has extended to the boys, too, who are really doing great. They are HUGE (Orilus especially, who now has outgrown Jackson by 3-1/2 inches and over 10 pounds), and into preteen changes (puberty and all the moods and fun that come with that). They are into sports now (soon, basketball will start, and they continue in swimming lessons) and now that they belong to 3 area YMCA's, we spend a lot of time there as a family, swimming and using the basketball courts. They've also joined their school's drama club this year, and Orilus auditioned for the school play a couple weeks ago...we'll find out soon if he has a part! Jackson has plans to work on the backstage crew. And they've both taken some piano this year (every other week). When they're not begging to go to the Y, they're usually now entertaining us with evening "drama practices" (they like to do improv in our living room), song and dance performances...sweet remnants of childhood that I'm sure won't last many more years.

The most recent news of this week is that we had our very first ultrasound on Tuesday...immediately, an image of a baby lept to the screen, sucking its thumb and wiggling all around! It was amazing. Turns out I'm just 12 weeks, which moved my due date further into July (now July 12th). The boys were able to see the photos afterwards, and they've heard the heartbeat, too...they are SO excited.

We spent our New Year's Eve, as always, delivering Chinese food for our friends who own 2 Chinese restaurants nearby. It was a busy and crazy night, and I have much I'd like to write about the things I observed last night (namely, the way Americans treat service-workers and the nastiness that can ensue when Americans don't get their food ON TIME and HOT, even in the midst of a snowstorm). After just reading Anderson Cooper's books about war-torn countries, Katrina, and starving children, I had trouble reconciling the American spirit of "New Year" (give me mine, now) with much of the world's (let me live, please).

So am praying to experience an ongoing season of grace this New Year as I continue to be uncomfortable with America's culture and to find ways to stay aware of the rest of the world. Grace for a new semester of classes. Grace for these months as we anticipate our baby's arrival. "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me..." This is the confidence of the Christ-follower, and my meditation today.