Birthday!

Graham with a bit of ice cream!

Today we celebrate the birthday of our eldest child, Graham. He is now 17. It is hard to believe that the naughty, curly headed toddler who we began our parenthood journey with is now a wonderful, polite, kind, funny, hard working young man. In spite of our mistakes and bumbling first years, he is a truly delightful person, even when he is honking with laughter over a pinochle victory. I remember, when he was but a few hours old, holding him and trying to memorize his baby features, trying to imprint them in my memory. I already had a sense that the years would slip past, that these dear moments of looking on my firstborn would be fleeting. And, indeed, that is just what happened.As I look back over the last 17 years, through all of the stress and sorrow (not connected with him!),tragedies and triumphs, I am struck by how great the grace of God is, and how he showers it upon us. Grace when we needed it most, grace sufficient to see us through each day. We are so grateful for the gift of Graham!