Thanksgiving II

The thanksgiving service today was beautiful.

When I told the story behind the Little Dude, about him as an IVF baby and our experience of infertility, it was quite surprising to me just how interested people were.

Then the Big Dude described how, at one point, he was a 19 year old with fairly conventional expectations of his life (marriage, family, children, mortgage), only to find himself, a year later, a young veteran from the Vietnam War, avoiding all those things. Becoming reconciled, as a middle aged man, to the idea that he would never have them, until meeting me. And now he was giving thanks for such a change in his life.

There were tears glistening in the eyes of the congregation. And they were so kind. We had "blessing cards" for the congregation to fill out with a prayer or blessing, and people went to such trouble to write something meaningful. And afterwards, several people thanked us for giving our story and especially sharing about infertility, telling us the stories in their own families.

Then we had a great lunch with our Little Dude's godparents (my former community members) and other friends. And my other housemate had sent us a surprise poem frm overseas. All our kids played together and they were a beautiful sight.

I am happy. It's been such a happy day.

Sometimes happiness seems so fragile. You don't have to do much to stuff it up and lose it. But, while you have it, it seems like what life is all about - children, love, friendship, kindness, faith.

Sometimes it seems more beautiful because its so fragile.

For the last twenty-four hours, I have found myself humming that Living Proof song over and over again:

Wel, now all that's sure on the boulevard
Is that life is just a house of cards
As fragile as each and every breath
Of this boy sleeping in our bed
Tonight let's lie beneath these eaves
Just a close band of happy thieves
And when that train comes, we'll get on board
And steal what we can from the treasures of the Lord
It's been a long drought, baby
Tonight the rain's pouring down on our roof
Looking for a little bit of God's mercy
I found living proof.