I'm an uncle!  Peter and Celina had a baby boy last week.  His name is Mateo.  Mateo V. Varela.  The anticipation leading up to his birth and now the reality of him being born has made me think about life in new ways, which I'm sure is all the more true for Peter and Celina.  First of all, I'm struck by how truely amazing the birth of a child is.  To have a completely new life grow inside of someone and then be born as a uniquely independent being is surely one of God's greatest gifts to mammals.  And being related to that new being is pretty special, I'd say.  Reproduction is pretty awesome.
The second thing is something Peter brought up in an email he sent before Mateo was born.  I think it'll be ok with him if I include his quote here.  He said:

Despite the doom and gloom of our unmanaged relationship to creation, the world is a beautiful place. The newly yellow leaves are glowing wet after the rain. Seems like a scary future though.  May our baby grow to be a person of peace amid the inevitable conflict.  I think about the future so much more now that our baby is on the way. Lots of unknown but God is faithful. (Peter Varela)

I told him that I appreciate his optimism because I often find it difficult to see past the despair, suffering, and ruin of the earth, the animals, and humans at the hands of us humans.  In these times I find it hard to be hopeful.  I think hope is a fundamental part of a person's outlook on the future, and something I usually miss or forget is how much it comes down to the question, where do you place your hope?  Peter has reminded me, not just in this situation, that I want to more and more place my hope in a faithful, loving God.  Also, I think the birth of a nephew is a very hopeful event.

Thanks for reading,
Michael