Yesterday we welcomed our newest family member, Josiah Anthony to the family. He is a wonderful little boy, and the family gallery moments are full of rich loving emotion. People viewing these photos would think we live in a wonderful version of wonderful TVLand where all is right in the world. In reality though, the photos reflect a grace filled moment resulting from a gutwrenching year of enrichment leading to it.

Over the last year as a family we faced many challenges. Our adventures extended not far from the house. Daddy led only minimalist excursions, Momma struggled with health issue after issue, kids got sick, we faced challenges at school, in discipline, and we all lost our marbles from a problem or issue more than once. NONE of those moments were the type of Rockwell images I relish to build in either my personal or photographic life. I certainly never captured those moments outside of own cranium.

Friends can't come over, Daddy is at work, and Momma is too sick to drive? Hope for tomorrow and play with your siblings. Tired of groundhog Saturdays with no adventure...shut up and finish a job you had not finished in the house. Tired of having to do more and more chores, lacking Mom's presence in your life because she is perineally sick, or the thought you now have bigger bills to pay? Pray on why your giving into vices, and hit confession to seek forgiveness.

In the valleys of life we always have a choice to help ourselves go lower, hold the course or begin to climb to the ridgeline again. I know the only way we reached this glorious moment yesterday though, was because of our collective responses to those low points. We only occasionally failed to stay at or gain altitude, and never went into a terminal decent. The key to our family response was our collective final decision always kept hope alive through acts of faith and charity. We also paid up lots of pennace to each other for our internal transgressions.

We had a moment in some glorious graces, and now we are back to reality. A huge tree fell in the yard, feedings every three hours around the clock, littles now need to re-establish the household order, health needs restoration, there will be more chores to do, and needs to meet. The reward though will be more lessons leading us to greater heights of love, and good photographic moments.

So off to work we go!

-ehw