A post-Father's Day Gift

I got a late Father's Day gift yesterday when my wife and I finally got confirmation that little one number 2 is on its way! Everything with the sonogram looked good, and we were even amazed to be able to see the little heart beating away! My daughter still doesn't quite know what to make of everything -- in fact, when I had her look at the monitor to watch the sonogram and asked her what she saw, she replied, "Dinosaur!" and then looked at me, held her hands up like little claws, and growled.

There's no doubt in my mind that she'll make a great big sister to our new son or daughter, and it will be so much fun watching her grow and help care for someone even smaller than her. Naturally, since she's been an only child for nearly three years, there will undoubtedly be some jealousy issues that she will have to overcome -- but we're going to try really hard to make sure she knows that she's loved just as much as she always was, and even more so with the love that she'll get from her sibling.

I also think this is going to be a great challenge for us in the way we handle this. I think my wife and I had finally just gotten a handle on how to raise one child, and we were doing pretty well with that. Now, of course, we'll have to try and double what we've learned (and what we still don't know) for two kids. Coming from a family of four kids, it's a safe bet that my mother and father will be called on quite a bit for advice!

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As John McLaughlin would say, "Issue Two!" As someone who is actively going through the discernment process right now, I am always looking for good books by and about people who have entered the ministry and who have stories and lessons to share about their own experiences. While perusing the Episcopal Bookstore website, I saw that Barbara Brown Taylor has a new book out -- Leaving Church. It's gotten some remarkable reviews, and is recommended as something that anyone considering the priesthood should consider reading.

I've picked up a copy and have started reading it, and I already can say that I would recommend it to anyone and everyone interested in a good, meaningful religious memoir. Not being too familiar with her writing, I didn't know what to expect. But if the remainder of the book is a tenth as good as the opening, then it will be a remarkable book indeed. And for those who may not know it, she was named one of the twelve most outstanding preachers in the world today by Baylor University. I can see why!