what a day!

what an interesting day this has been. filled with joy and sorrows. 

moments after i woke this morning (after sleeping in. i love summer vacation) the memory of the evening before was still lingering in my mind. after a great bike ride out to lions lake with the fish family, we returned home to a much anticipated message. an email to say, unfortunately the bank has decided to accept someone else's offer on a house we wanted to buy. this house buying thing has been hard on the emotions. we were all pretty bummed out. 

however, the day perked up. raleigh called mid morning to say he had heard from culley, and that jennie lou was in labor. something else we have had much anticipation for. soon after that the news came... it's a girl. we were so excited to hear we have a new niece. 

it got me thinking, reminiscing about my own birth experiences, thinking of the value of life. thanking God for all my healthy children. marveling at how a baby is formed in it's mothers womb.

later on in the day i read the newspaper. two deaths stood out to me. a father of some friends, and a man that my dad worked for all of my growing up life. two dads gone. one old, and one not so old. it really got me thinking. life is such a precious gift. a gift to be cherished. it makes me want to snuggle with raleigh, hug my kids, spend time with our parents and my aging grandma and let all of my friends and family know how much they are loved. by me, but more importantly by God. love we can't fathom. 

so, at the end of this bitter sweet day, my emotions are somewhat of a mix. the thought of new life makes my heart smile. the thought of losing a life makes me sad. looking forward to days of cherishing the lives God has given me to love, and still a little bummed about the house. yet somehow it just doesn't seem to be such a big deal any more.