“I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” Philippians 2:17b-18
This passage is exactly the point of this blog. I rejoice with all of you, at least those of you that I know personally. And I hope you rejoice with me, when I have things to share. Lately there hasn’t been a lot for me to rejoice in – not that I have been unhappy, but to me, rejoicing is something that takes place when good news comes. January has been a month of mundane things, which is probably ok. I’ve been tired, so not having a lot of crazy excitement has been helpful.
I was just talking to a friend this morning about how this season is strange – Easter is late this year, so Lent won’t start until March. That means this season of Epiphany drags on much longer than I’m used to. Perhaps I’m more aware of it because I’ve taken on some of the worship planning duties at our church.
But then it occurred to me that Easter isn’t as late this year as it was three years ago. Samantha was born on March 10th, which in 2011 fell the day after Ash Wednesday. This year, Lent begins on March 5th. But three years ago I was in the hospital through almost all of February, so I didn’t notice the time passing as much.
Three years. The anniversary of her birth is still more than a month away, but it doesn’t feel at all like it’s been three years. Sometimes it feels like I keep reliving the same year over and over again – as though the year starts on her death date on July 10th, and ends on July 9th. And then we begin again, visiting those milestones. But time marches on, and when I see the children who were born after her walking and talking, it’s unnerving.
So it’s not exactly a time of rejoicing for me, right now. But believe me, when I see your posts of your joys on Facebook, I am rejoicing with you. I might not always remember to “like” or comment, but I am filled with joy for you. Keep sharing those events, because it’s in them I find joy in the passage of time.
