All I want is for my children to be happy.

Nora's 2nd birthday party - My son's family on Chanelle's side.

Children.  The joy of our hearts and the bane of our existence.  Every day presents its own blessings and trials.  We all have hopes for our offspring.  But, at the end of each day, ultimately we pray that they would find happiness.  

We celebrated Nora's 2nd birthday yesterday with my son, Josh, Chanelle, his wife, and her family.  I had a good opportunity to witness my boy's in-laws and found that he was blessed with people that loved Nora and would be there for her, whatever her needs.  Josh was happy, something I had hoped for throughout his growing years.  I saw the joy that comes with a father and his daughter.  I saw that he was embraced by Chanelle's family.  And I saw contentment; all was good in his life.

What more can we ask for our children?  Health, happiness, and well-being.  I believe the future holds more of the same.  There will always be the spectre of Uncertainty.  That is something we live with each and every day.  Who knows what the future will bring, for any of us?  But, for today, I can say, that my son is happy.  And for that, I am thankful.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hang in there, things will get better.

Image
The Svendsen Family - Eric, Samuel, Leanne, Joshua (top row), Nora, Kathryn, Chanelle, Emma If I could go back, in my mind, to a day in my life when I was really down, it would be nice to be able to see into the future.  If could see things as they are today, with the many blessings that have been given to me, it would give me hope knowing that things wouldn't always be so discouraging.   The message here is we do not know what the future holds.  When things are bad, it is hard to raise your head out of the mire to see beyond the darkness.  There are no guarantees, of course, that things will be better, but I think it is true that fortunes ebb and flow as tides do.  The trick is to see beyond the low points and not be too haughty during the high ones.  I know that, at this moment, things are very good.  What the future holds is unknown, but low and high points are likely in the forecast.   This is why taking satisfaction from the moment is so important.  Instead of looking forward
Read more

Happy to be alive - enjoy the moment

Image
My daughter, Leanne, enjoying our hike on Knox Mountain in Kelowna Each of us goes through hills and valleys, sometimes even mountains and canyons, on our sojourn through life.  Joyous moments seem to last but an instant while depressing lows can crawl along at the pace of a handicapped snail.  Fortunately, it seems, that the bulk of life is about maintenance and upkeep, of both self and invested interests.  It is during that metaphoric walk on the plains of life that an abrupt change in topography occurs, often without warning. I love my daughter.  As a parent, I have watched her grow and borne witness to those life events that have both blessed and haunted her.  Where my wife and I could, we have supported her in the difficult times and celebrated with her in the good.  I would like to think that we have made the valleys less daunting and the peaks even higher.   A recent personal setback has left her reeling, yet she still finds moments to enjoy life and enjoy those things that it o
Read more

Working out life's problems.

Image
Kathryn and Eric - together for 35 years. Whoever said life is easy hasn't been alive for very long.  Yes, although there may be times when everything sails along very nicely, the truth is that hardship is just around the corner, in both directions. The essence of the problem is that we are imperfect beings and we live in an imperfect world.  Bad things happen, both to us and those we care about.  We make decisions and take actions that others may oppose or be hurt by.  Even when, after much thought and research, we do what we think is best or right, our opinions or behaviours are not approved by those we love.  People get hurt, and sometimes the hurt leads to serious repercussions.   I can say that Kathryn and I are happily married.  But I can also say that our relationship has gone through difficult moments.  A great deal of the challenges we have faced have come about because of differences in opinion, differences in problem management, and difficulties in effective communicatio
Read more