despair into the light of hope rings truer to me now than ever. For our family, 2022 has been marked by strife, a war-torn country and battle-weary souls. Ukraine fights against its oppressor, fights to have peace, to have freedom, to have food and joy for its children. And we fight the scars of trauma and illness, left by a country on an innocent orphan. Trauma, like peace, cannot be contained. It spreads, it consumes, it devours. But with each battle scar, like Ukraine, we can claim a seemingly impossible victory. Ever the optimist, this year I am choosing to find peace in not giving up. Sometimes that is a victory, because unlike society’s lies, I know that success does not just mean moving forward, but acceptance of where you’re at, an understanding of possible change, and a vision of future joy. So, through heartbreaking disruption from Covid, shifting seasons of friendships, and an ever intricate but transparent spiritual walk, we settle more into ourselves, at peace with ourselves.
Snow becomes a
yielding cushion to aid us~As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born
again on the faces of children
Evelyn found her own bit of peace this year, as she started her high school career at Tacoma’s infamous Stadium High. Straight A’s, performing in the Fall Musical, and applying for the State Senate Page Program, she also faced disappointments from Covid and worked to build new friendships. The highlight of her summer was her community volunteer work, a continued goal for the coming year. She is on a beautiful but difficult journey of self-awareness and future plans, but she travels with grace and a good sense of humor. And always, always, ALWAYS, singing!
Cecilia found peace a little
more intangible on her journey into the next phase-middle school. But after
settling in and (mostly) giving up the idea of homeschooling (never, ever would
happen!) she has blossomed with new friendships, is developing a strong school
work ethic, and most of all, has found dance to be a safe, liberating, and
phenomenal place of growth. She started the year working hard on her dancing
and half way
through, a little dance switch
popped on in her head and she is a sight to behold!
Hope
spreads around the earth, brightening all things
Even
hate, which crouches breeding in dark corridors
Max struggles to find peace, his default setting is anxiety and frustration, so as a result, we all struggle to be at peace with Max. But, like his birth country, he is David to Goliath, and we will keep going forward, even if going forward means we just haven’t stepped back. We have chosen not to tell him about the events in Ukraine, but I wanted to take a moment to let you all know how much your thoughts, prayers, and support mean to us. We continue to connect with different members of his birth family on a regular basis. They are fleeing, fighting, crying for their children, sitting in the cold darkness, and above all else, like Max, like our family, persevering. Sometimes the only peace you can cling to is the peace of holding on, however
tenuous to what you know that can be
true.
We hear a
sweetness. The word is Peace.
needs. Bard took the boat out, it broke down, he took it again, it broke down, he took it out again, and it worked! So we are grateful, while still struggling to work through heartache and tension. But one thing I do know for sure, however hilarious it sounds, the sweetest spot for all of us this year has been the sweet addition to our family, Pikalu! Because of course, no matter how sad the day, how hard the road ahead, a puppy’s love is unconditional. A love that we can all learn from, as we begin a new year.
We Angels and
Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward
and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
