Rachel would certainly take issue if I tried to claim that I'm maturing with age. I think we can all claim that isn't true. But what a year it's been... When I look back on the last year, so much of it is plagued by medical issues that it can be hard to see, at first glance, what a wondrous year it has been. Caleb has been growing, and he turns into a more amazing little kid every day. He's fun to be around, and rolling around on the floor with plastic dinosaurs is a great way to spend an evening with him. I don't think I could have fully understood the joy of fatherhood five years ago, but now it is a marvelous journey that unfolds anew each morning. Danielle has come along and changed everything yet again! It's been quite an adjustment having two children, but she is a precious treasure, and while I'm still getting used to infants again, it's amazing what God is up to--every day she grows a little more aware, and I give thanks for the joy she brings. Rachel and I continue to grow, together and as individuals, and we're always wondering what God might be up to next. We sometimes have to remember to stop and enjoy, to give thanks, for today. It's so tempting to spend all our time peering beyond the horizon that we could be in danger of missing the joy of now. So we try to be grateful. Here's hoping for a wondrous & healthy 33rd year of life. I give thanks for all the blessings. I rejoice at all the opportunities. I am so grateful for the love and support that surrounds me each and every day. What a fascinating journey this life is. What a weekend! We celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday and Danielle's 1 month birthday. Debbie at church was kind enough to bake Caleb a baseball cake, which he greatly enjoyed. We went festival-ing on Saturday morning, and we discovered that Caleb is afraid of Ronald McDonald, which might work out well to our advantage. ("Oh, Caleb, you want to go to McDonald's? Don't you know that's where Ronald lives?") Life is busy around here, and yet we try to remember to slow down, to take a deep breath, and just be grateful for today. There are so many precious moments, and it would be easy to spend them wondering/worrying about the future. Today is wondrous, and we're just trying to enjoy it. It's a gift. Dear members of Congress,
I'm sorry. This is a hard message to hear, but I hope that you trust that it's just as hard for me to deliver as it is for you to hear. (Ok, that's not entirely true. It's a pretty easy thing to say right now.) I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that you don't get everything you want in life. This is a hard thing for all of us to learn, and I suppose you all missed this lesson. I can understand how it's possible--given the difficulty of teaching it, perhaps your parents simply didn't enforce it. We've been trying to teach this to our two year old, and the tantrums he throws whenever we enforce it are difficult to endure. His tears and screams get very old, but we know that we have to persevere in order for him to learn this valuable lesson. We are hoping that he will be a productive member of our society when he grows up, and grasping the truth that we must compromise and have empathy with the other is a valuable tool in the adult world. I do thank you for granting me the comfort of knowing that even if he never grasps this important life lesson and continues to act like a two year old as an adult when forced to share or act mature, there is still a place of employment for him. In the meantime, we'll continue to discipline him and model what it means to share and act reasonably around all people, even those with whom we disagree. We'll listen to opposing viewpoints with respect, and when we disagree but still are required to make decisions, we'll find a middle ground. When my wife wants chicken for dinner and I want veggie lasagna, we'll compromise and make chicken with veggies rather than simply shut down the kitchen and starve each other out of spite. When she believes it is necessary to go to Target and I don't feel like going, I'll go with her and sit in the car, rather than calling Target and asking them to close the store so she can't go. When she wants to cuddle and I want to watch football, I'll ask her to cuddle on the couch so we can both be happy, rather than locking ourselves out of the house to prove a point. In all these things, we'll try and model to Caleb what respectable, reasonable adult behavior is. Hopefully he'll learn. If he does, I'll be glad to send my 2 year old son to Congress to teach you all how to live like the leaders you were elected to be, working to find a middle ground between differing opinions and seek the good of all the country. Sincerely, Keith Jones |