Sunday afternoon: Gavin intently watching a football game trying to figure out exactly what it takes to be the best football player in history, and how he could use his jedi powers to help achieve that goal....Troy standing on the couch in nothing but shrek underwear and a cape made out of some blanket material playing a guitar that looks a lot like a spatula...to the Rolling Stones album Let it Bleed...beautiful.

Troy's been sick and even though his nose isn't really running like crazy, he has the stuffed up nose voice and it's the cutest thing, especially when he says "actually mama" to me (a signature phrase)...what's more is that Gavin has been so sweet and patient with him. I'm sure they will be back to their normal roles in no time- Troy climbing to the top of the couch and jumping on Gavin, Gavin acting very rational in his response to reason with Troy why it's not a good idea, and both of them settling the dispute with a good old fashioned wrestling match, like only brothers can. For now, though, I'm enjoying my plugged-nose toddler and his sweet-natured big brother.

My dad was an incredible man. He truly loved everyone he encountered, even those he didn't like...I've never seen a better example of a Christian than my dad...and I thought this way even before he died. But the thing that made him truly amazing was what I learned about him after his death. I was able to gain some insight into his real and difficult spiritual struggles, his despair and compassion for human brokenness, his passion for the gospel and spreading its message, and how he actively and aggressively dealt with all these things every day. At his calling hours, what stood out to me was the amount of people there who we had never even heard of. And these weren't just individuals who had known him or known of him, but these were people who he was in constant communication with because they had been struggling with something- from drugs to terminal illness, he seeked these people out because of their need for God's love....and he never told anyone about it. They didn't go to our church; in fact some were people he had met once and just stayed in contact with. How true a reflection of Christ, submissive and quiet, and constantly motivated by love...