loved.

i was perusing the news the other day, trying to catch up on everything going on around the world; people fighting and massacred in syria, a new special advisor appointed in north korea, not enough economic growth, exorbitantly high youth unemployment rates in europe, jeremy lin sent to houston out of spite, etc. you get the picture. objectively,  there is so much to worry about, to be anxious about - so much to fear in this world. so it's always nice to be reminded that despite life's great and small uncertainties, there is one thing that remains unshakeable.

this past weekend, yobel and i hosted a baby shower for our friend miriam. she is due in less than a month! as i was sifting through the pictures last night, it occured to me, this baby - baby thomas richard - is so loved. like crazy loved. he is so loved by his parents, so loved by his uncle who traveled all the way from new york just to surprise miriam at the shower and so loved by the grandparents who will soon converge on virginia. and because we love mark and miriam, we also love baby thomas. it's comforting to know, in the midst of such chaos, violence even, that for the next many many moons,  all the love will be a kind of anchor for the adkins as they journey into parenthood. afterall, our love is a mere shadow of the most secure, most unfathomable, most unconditional love of our dear LJ.

so for today, it's enough to know that they are loved. we are loved. and mostly, baby thomas is loved...loved in Him - the safest, calmest, sweetest place to be. and somehow, it suddenly becomes a little less scary to bring a baby into this world. because we are secure deep in this cocoon of our Savior's love, and in the love of all those who surround us.

and my favorite picture of the baby shower:


because anyone who does dishes in my house is always, ALWAYS, i repeat, ALWAYS welcome over.

note*: the cake is HOMEMADE - just not in my home! my ridiculously talented friend Grace Chung makes cakes in her "spare time" - after she graduated at the top of her west point class, after getting married, while raising two adorable girls, and attending dental school. i'm pretty convinced she secretly runs the world too.