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Hitting all the Seasons of life, one Week at a time

As I sit here experiencing post Independence Day depression (as if that were a thing), I am realizing what my last week consisted of, and it is shocking. Within the span of 6 days I experienced a birth, an adoption, a funeral, and a wedding. It seems as though I came upon many stages of monumental life activity all within the past week.

-Birth of young
My sister-in-law (Katie's brother DJ and Alyssa) gave birth naturally to a beautiful baby girl on Sunday morning. She is a real beauty and makes Isaiah's first cousin on the Ryan side of our family.

-Adoption of old
My sister and brother-in-law (Katie and Gregg) officially adopted Zahara, a 14 year old African. They celebrated the event at the courthouse with their whole family.

-Wedding of old
I got back in town from Tennessee just in time to play for Janet's wedding. Janet and Wayne are getting married after having lost both of their previous spouses. They are late in life and early in love with one another. It was a joyous thing to see their wedding service and witness them commit to love each other til "death do us part."

-Funeral of young
The day before the wedding there was a tragic car accident that took the life of a 17 year old from our congregation. He was a young, vibrant kid who had lots of life ahead of him. That service was also a joy to be a part of, but in spite of wanting to make it a joyous celebration of welcoming him to the Father, everyone here on earth is left wishing to have one more day with him.

And so, this has been a very emotional week. It is staggering to think that these instances happen everyday around us in the lives of people we may or may not know, and it is just when it affects us that we notice.

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