Leo Clement

Once there was a deep dark nothing. A nothing that was full; full of blackness, space, and of course, it was full of nothing. Then somehow, in some miraculous way, into that deep dark, a tiny spark was given. Birthed into the darkness, quietly, unannounced, and it grew slowly. But not that slowly. Soon the nothing wasn’t empty anymore. And the spark, it grew into a roaring flame, so bright that the nothingness resounded with its fullness and brightness. It was no longer empty. From the nothingness of the deep, the spark burned. It was not nothing. It was alive. And it loved being alive. Thriving and growing the spark looked round at itself and saw that there was something wrong with his bright shape. Yes, he realized that he was a "he" and an "it" no longer. His heart was shaped like a lion, strong and fierce, but there was still something not right. He looked and watched and though he felt safe, he was afraid. The dark nothingness comforted him, and gave him faith...

Today we went for a walk down the road. The dirt road was washed with golden sunlight and dusted with the smells and sounds of summer. Have I mentioned anything before about the area little lion gets to call home? To sum it up in one word: splendiferous has a nice ring to it... Behind our house and a ways down the road the trees open up to reveal a view of the whole valley; looking to the left one can see straight down to the mountains and the highway that cuts across them, and looking right, the view is of pristine fields and forests, horses and orchards. The setting sun almost seems to paint the landscape with dazzling colors of pink and sienna. The kids relax and sink into the nature around them like little forest imps, fitting in as only they can. Leo loves the great outdoors. Inside, little man fills the house with demands and activities, but here, out in the clear air, he sits patiently in his stroller, looking at everything, and just simply being. ...

As I was driving along today, I caught a segment on NPR that kinda stuck on to my brain, and made that said organ spin some wheels it usually doesn't. I wasn't able to listen to the whole thing, but the part that I did hear, was about our young, returning veterans. The report explored the hardships that these vets face in trying to assimilate back into society, especially in the college setting. The overwhelming evidence talked about showed that most of the vets are not able to function on the same level as the regular students. That special programs are needed to help them get through PTSD symptoms, that faculty needs coaching about these symptoms and potential triggers, and that basically, there needs to be more funding to help vets get back to normal life. The boys and girls interviewed sounded depressed and confused. Upset even, by the fact that after the intense and incredible everyday hardships and feats that they have withstood and undergone, they are now...

I realize that we are overdue for some Leo pictures, but first, let me tell you what is making me happy today. Well actually, there are a couple things. First, scroll down and take a peep at the hit counter on this blog. 96, 587??!!! Really? REALLY?! I can't tell you how this makes me feel. Ok, you've convinced me. I'll try to share. The fact that over the last almost two years of Leo's life you have faithfully read this blog, emailed it to friends, and mentioned his name in your prayers, breaks my heart. In a very good way, but there you have it. It breaks my heart to know that over 96 thousand times someone has thought of our boy and read my, very frequently, rambling and badly composed words. I'm so happy that Leo's story holds so much that you are still clicking back to this blog. Why would that make me happy? Because in some way, perhaps that is one of the reasons all this happened in the first place.  No baby is born without purpose an...