Quiet Down Time :-)

I have been a father now for 9 days (coming on 10 days in about 4 hours and 28 minutes).. :-P And not a lot of quiet time during that span, I must say. Just now, with Ethan, Kelly and Mom asleep, it is allowing me for some quiet reflection. With everything that has gone on, not only to me, but in my community, to my friends, and to my family, one thing is certain - life is precious, unpredictable, and full of tests. (ok, so that was actually three things).

Looking into Ethan's big, dark gray-coloured eyes, I begin to envision all the various things I could teach him or activities I could do with him, what his world is going to look like, and how he is going to offer his services and help move humanity forward. A big task, no doubt, but every spiritually-minded person has, in his very core, this prime motivation - to make this world a place for peace, harmony and glad tidings for all the human race.

I recall what my own mom told me of the time I was born - she told me in quiet reflection (to baby Maxwell) that "we have a lot of work to do". And, indeed, this is as true now, as it was in my parents early days. To me, Ethan brings new hope, as I see in him an opportunity that God has given me to nurture a soul whose influence will hopefully touch many many hearts.

I find myself writing this blog entry in my home in Durham, NC.. and yet my family and Kelly's family are spread all over the globe. New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Singapore and Australia just doesn't seem all that far away with technology though, so this is good. But I write this, feeling that I no longer have a true sense of "home". My home has always been where my parents live. Now, more than 6 years removed from the place I grew up in Canada, I contemplate the measure of this word "home". Am I now to create this place for my wife and son?

This theme runs through my head often, and all the friends I have come to know over the years add to my human experience. I often think, my oldest, most close friends from my childhood, likely know very little of what truly means the most to me. Themes of spiritual import matter most to me these days, now in my late 20's, with the Baha'i Faith seemingly steadying the path of my life. I would eagerly take this opportunity to say something about the Baha'i Faith, but certainly we are all scholarly enough to Google it, research and make our own conclusions. But never the one to neglect making mention something Baha'i, I have to say that an ideology that brings about unity of all humankind, that teaches the importance of justice, the equality of women and men, that all religions are in fact from the same source (God!), and that our love for each other is supposed to be such that we are even as one SOUL - ok, can we say "Wow"?? Truly, highest ideals to live by is the Baha'i Faith. And one must not get downhearted as all have many shortcommings.

Argghhh... I mean "Yay" Ethan is up... time for his feeding ... precious, precious life.

To be continued...