Life is good. God is good. His essence pervades our life like the scent of roses. Everywhere I turn His fulfilled promises stand out like roses in full bloom. He has given us each other. We have grown closer, intertwining, our lives becoming entangled, inseparably one.



Now, we have children, the fruit of our love for one another. Even in this desert we live in, God has blessed us. For the first time, we own our own home. We prayed for a fenced-in back yard, and a tree house for Ryan. The landscaping in the front yard is almost finished. Marigolds and roses, tulips and jasmine. Climbing, creeping, growing. Annuals, perennials, bushes, trees. Sweet scents flow into our home with every breeze.

The future looks good, too. Ryan's soccer skills are improving, as are his confidence and interpersonal skills. Hope is reading better, and her spelling is improving. Faith has decided to stay in town to get her RN degree. It will take longer, but she'll be able to spend more time with Hope and Ryan. We fully expect the future to blossom as beautifully as the present.

And after Faith's graduation on May 16th? I'd like to see her get her LVN and take a job at the hospital. Then, go on for her RN. She can get her Bachelor's online. Maybe go for her Master's, too? By this time, the kids will be close to graduating from high school. Or, maybe in college? After they're old enough, independent, Faith wants to become a traveler. Maine. Texas. Oregon. North Carolina. Places we've dreamed of visiting. Then, overseas with Nurses Without Borders. South America. Africa. The Far East.

Of course, these are dreams of a distant future. Like the smallest buds on a rose bush, we don't know what the future holds. But, we can close our eyes, and the scent of roses will surround us, whispering to us of God's promises.