What is good?

It’s been a good day… a good Friday.  There was laughter, sunshine, pink petals painted by child’s eyes…

All six happy today… and mama… and dad.  The good life.  Family, friends… full stomachs, full hearts… full days.

My dear friend in my thoughts.  A good wife, a good mother, a good sister and daughter… a good friend… the kind of good that can’t be duplicated.  None of us duplicated.

So much that is not good… paraded before our eyes… we parents, desperate to shield our little ones from the not good.

I’ve wondered why it’s called this?  Good Friday.  The suffering of Christ certainly was not “good.”  History shows it’s roots in remembrance… Gottes Freitag… a day taken by Christ’s followers to remember His sacrifice.  His suffering to bring us good.

The good yet to come… the hope for us all…

The beauty is in the small hands, crafting the crosses with love… remembering the cost… for our good.

Our wandering human eyes are drawn to the not so good… longing for more images of the good.  It amazes me still ~ the child’s eye… it sees the good first…

The child bounding down stairs… to exclaim the good… not seen so clearly by the “seasoned” eye…

God has taken mama home!  She doesn’t hurt anymore

The child exclaiming with sheer wonder

It will be perfect there… when we are all there, someday 

The child comforting the mom… with calm certainty

It’s all okay you know… she’s all better now 

The small child wiping the tears of the mother

It’s okay… be happy

Seeing the good – in the not good.  The gift of the innocent eye.  My efforts to shield these young eyes… ironically, these eyes see what I do not… the clear vision they share with me ~ the clarity seen through their faith ~ these little ones ~ seeing the unseen… show me the good.  The beauty in the ugly, the healing in the pain… the good in the bad.

A good day… what is good?  Good is in the joy… good is in the love… good is in the hope…

the gift of forever

the undeserved gift of a forever… with Him… with all of these little ones.

John 10:11

I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.