Blessed are the Peacemakers....

Howdy.

This picture made me smile today for a couple of reasons. The first, is, (obviously) the fact that these are, in my opinion, the two cutest kids in the universe. The second is that these are our kids. For reasons God only knows, Steven and I have been entrusted with the enormous privilege and responsibility of raising these two human beings.

We have had a difficult past couple of days here in happilymarriedland. We've been married for 8 1/2 years, and I have to say that it's been pretty good. But everyone has "stuff" hidden away in their hearts. It's inevitable that that stuff is going to leak out all over you at some point, and it's going to get messy. That's what happened this weekend. We were brutally honest with each other, and it got messy. You thought the Purdue-OSU upset was big news in our house? Let me tell you, those beefy 20-year-old guys had nuthin' on some of our plays here. Except we weren't playing a game -- we were in battle, each trying to defend our own egos while crushing the other's and mopping up the field with it.

But then a funny thing happened. In the midst of our finger-pointing, we each realized that there was more going on than our own hurt feelings and anger. These two little people kept right on living their lives -- building with Legos, asking for snacks, needing help using the potty and tying shoes, and begging us to watch their latest Stupid Human Tricks. We had to hit the "pause" button on our fight in order to put on the "parent" hat. And you know what? It's a good thing. When we stepped back from ourselves in order to make a snack and watch their acrobatics (which were, by the way, quite impressive), we gained perspective. Our anger lost some momentum, and we bought some valuable time to re-assess what we were saying, hearing, and feeling. By bedtime last night, apologies were said, forgiveness was granted, and some semblance of normalcy had returned. This is not to say that everything is perfect, but everything has been laid bare, ready to be mended with love and grace. Love is present, and it is deep.

I am learning more about grace every day -- what it means to receive it, and what it means to extend it. I am thankful for my little teachers, whom even unaware, continue to point me to the waiting Arms of Love.