And what is so rare as a day in June?....
Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it.
We are happy now because God wills it.
No matter how barren the past may have been, 
'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green
    -"June" (James Russell Lowell)

Our precious Havi girl was born in June and because of that fact it is now the most beautiful month. In her simple act of breathing and crying, she changed the world and our lives and now our hearts are so full that a drop overfills them.

This past year has wrought joy so loud there is no description as well as doubts and fears so deep, you wonder if they will always stick with you and show up on those quiet days when all your best distractions have failed to distract you. Constantly reminded are we of our inadequacies as parents, friends, Christians. And yet, constantly are we reminded of His mercy, His keeping, His love.

I have many hopes as a parent some so large they keep me up (to faithfully show the love of Christ) some exciting but challenging (homeschool well), some ambitious but manageable (start a backyard garden with my kids), some whimsical and random that I cannot even trace where they came from (the need to bake a first birthday cake).

All of these things, remind me that my desires will trap me if I cannot surrender them to God. I am not promised a saved child, a thriving homeschool, an aesthetically beautiful yet functional garden or even an edible birthday cake! But I am promised through Christ, a saviour who will never leave me and joy untold when we all meet in Zion for then I will see him just as He is, what a thought!

As the year flashes through my brain, the steadfast faithfulness of our Jesus astounds me. He is good. Our child is here and she is amazing! We spend nights thinking and talking about her. We cannot believe how funny and smart she is, how observant, how gentle, how fun! We also cannot believe how poorly she slept and how poorly we slept! More than this, we cannot believe God has blessed us so much, we are grateful and are happy now because God wills it!

P.S. I did bake that cake! It is crooked but it is done, it was fun and it is edible, thank you Jesus!