Starting a little late, so, I’ll include a couple here to start trying to catch up.
Day 1 – A – I’m thankful for the institution of ADOPTION. I have so very much to be thankful for! My wife, my job, the team of people I teach with,
friends, and family! Actually, to list them all like I just did seems to diminish the significance of each one and make it sound just like a general, cliché statement, but, I can assure you that I meant each part of it sincerely and thoroughly. But, the fact is that I was born to a mother who was not mentally fit to care for a child and, while I don’t know all of the specific details, God worked through the woman who would eventually become my aunt, Lori Naylor, to get in touch with the woman and man (Ceil Scutt and James A. Rockwell) who would eventually become my mom and dad. I was born in March of 1976 in Susquehanna, PA, but, by April of ’76 I was settled at home in Whitney Point, NY and by June it became official. Because of my biological mother’s decision to put me up for adoption and my Aunt Lori‘s willingness to step in and care for me until my mom and dad stepped forward to adopt me, I am who I am today, thankful.
Day 2 – B – I’m thankful for BEAUTY. At 40, I’ve lived long enough to realize that beauty isn’t to be taken for granted. There is so, so much pain in this world – all of it rooted in sin – some level of God’s design twisted and contorted to the advantage of somebody’s selfish desire that leaves some level of pain in its wake. So many people are hurting due to racial tensions, hunger, sickness, grief, and stresses that we were never designed to carry on our own shoulders. But, every now and then, if we look, we can see breaks of beauty coming through. For me, it may be in a glance at my wife Angela or in being able to witness a moment where one of my kids chooses to do what is right, for the right reason. But, I’m often able to catch glimpse of beauty during a hike in the woods, when a student gives me a drawing, or when I see one stranger help another. Whatever form true beauty takes in my life, it is another glimpse of the grace of God that continues to break through in a world that is ever-increasingly more selfish and insensitive. One day, He will set it all straight, but, until then, I’ll keep looking out for glimpses of His beauty.
m e a n d e r s 