Fabric of Life

Our son is leaving for Iraq in four days. If you have a loved one in the military you will understand what a wrenching thing this is. Pride and worry and concern and faith are all wrapped up in one big mess. As it always seems to be with turning points in life, I find myself especially aware of the fabric of my life--and the little threads that make it up.

There's a new member in the extended family: my cousin's daughter and her husband were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Rumor has it that he was named after my grandfather. That's a long thread, running strong and sweetly through our hearts. That grandpa was dearly loved and truly a treasure of a man. I hope that bringing his name back into the family will bring some of his unique qualities back to us, too.

I think of my dad, and how proud he would have been to see this most cherished grandson in his uniform. Our son was named after my dad and my husband's dad. How convenient that both men had the same name! My dad and my son had a very special connection. Even though Dad hated the army in a lot of ways, he would have been busting with pride now.

Looking at it through the lens of the day, I can see that my life is rich in many ways. I have family to love, a happy home, an interesting family history making interesting roots, a promise of fascinating events ahead and small, simple joys in abundance. I also have enough problems to take none of that for granted, enough worry to remember to put things in God's hands, and enough rain to make the sunshine doubly welcome.