10 years ago today....

(New Year's Eve 2004) 

giving thanks for the years of celebrating life with you.... 

Friendship, continued...

“Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ."” -C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” -C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 


“In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting--any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.” -C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” -C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

Friendship

This quote is from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis.  It describes what happens in close friendships between 3 or more people. The words below are rich, and I imagine you will appreciate them along with us. 

The three friends Lewis speaks of are pictured above... 

Lamb says somewhere that if, of three friends (A, B, and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but “A’s part in C,” while C loses not only A but “A’s part in B.” In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald. Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, “Here comes one who will augment our loves.” For in this love “to divide is not to take away.” Of course the scarcity of kindred souls – not to mention practical considerations about the size of rooms and the audibility of voices – set limits to the enlargement of the circle; but within those limits we possess each friend not less but more as the number of those with whom we share him increases. In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to Heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah VI, 3) The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have.”

With you all away,  as we have said before, it seems a part of us is missing. 

We love what you all bring out in us and the unique vision we have of God's love because of you... 

HAPPY 28th!!

sending a little Micah love today.... 

sending you love from the NW

As I went running this afternoon in Anacortes, I was soaking up the sun and the beautiful views thinking of many a run we have done together here. 

Praying for you to drink in the wild air on your vacation and 

praying for refreshment for you four... 

Jason told me to write this caption: 

"Oh the sight of the sunlight on the side of an oil tanker." 

He's the witty one in the family. :) 

awkward family Christmas photos

I ran across these and was laughing so hard... These are especially for Liam. :) 

merry merry. :) 

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN!

though it is 95 degrees outside for you and it may not "feel" like Christmas, I am praying that it will be more meaningful than ever for you this year.... 

"Will I receive the absurd and fantastic love of God? Will I, like Mary, say, Here I am, crazy as it sounds. I’m in. And will we stay put so that we can welcome with wide arms the joy, the love, the wonder?"–Winn Collier 

the angel Gabriel at the pageant at the Christmas Eve service 

the camel 

(The front of the camel carried a spray bottle (who was our friend Morgan) and the back of the camel (Taylor) had a cup of Hershey's kisses dropping them as he walked....) 

definitely keeping it real here. 

Gabriel's proclamation: (video link below) 

Unto Us a Child is Born

can you spot Taylor?!