Kindness

Lying in bed last night, the idea came to me to choose a word for the year. I chose kindness. It's a beautiful idea, and biblical. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you." Kindness is also hugely needed in these days when so many suffer pain due to meanness and small-spiritedness. 2007--watch for kindness.

I'm trying to post a photo of a couple of people painting pottery last Saturday, but blogger isn't working very well. I'll try another time.

In the interest of candor, I'll tell you about a low session of sadness on Christmas afternoon. I think it was partly due to the same issue that dragged me down in June at Jeremy's graduation party. All of us together, loving one another, felt so good that I ached to think of maybe having to leave all this. But there was more. I was thinking about three big concerns over which I've prayed so much (two of them for a very long time) that seem "never" to change. I went to my room and lay down, crying out for comfort. Knowing that Jesus identified the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, I asked him directly for comfort. And he answered. Know what he said? "I love you." Over the next few minutes, the sadness lifted and I realized in a fresh way that the message of Christmas, "I love you," is really all I need. I think it's what we all need.

Thanks for loving us and praying for us.

Carol