Blessings

Today's post is about the happy side of life and the sometimes great pleasures that surprise us in our everyday routine:

About a month ago I was summoned down from my unit to the visiting room for a legal visit. In route from the security desk to my lawyer, I was pleasantly surprised to see my niece Annie. This sweet, shy, beautiful girl had not only matured into a lovely young lady, she has also become a radiant young mother.

This chance encounter brought such love, joy and hope into my life because you see, what Annie had cradled in her arms was not one, but two of God's little miracles. A baby boy and a baby girl; twins! To see that God has smiled on our family ignited such a warmth within me that I could have made an igloo melt. These miraculous gifts from heaven were just what I needed and I'm sure exactly what the rest of our family also needed.

For the last couple of decades our family has seen a lot of misfortune, especially July of '07 being truly devastating to us all. That's not to make light of the many joyous occasions that we have celebrated. There have been many weddings, births and birthdays; but for many reasons (foremost Government Persecution) many of us have not been able to participate in these family commemorations. So, when I was blessed to bump into Annie and her twins for all of sixty seconds, it reinforced what I already knew but needed to be reminded of on that special Wednesday: that whether we are incarcerated or home, in heaven or on earth, God's perfect love makes us one. And God, our Heavenly Father, is absolutely glorious and his love for us is boundless.

In closing I would just like to say to my dear Annie and to the rest of my loved ones who have celebrated a momentous occasion that I have not been able to share in, Congratulations! I love and miss you all. To my dear God, when I think of you and your wonder you leave me in Awe!

SAVALOOO,

TSG