When it rains it pours, or whatever twist of phrase you favor. For this saga, we are reminded that outside the walls of the NICU, a global pandemic continues and mourning families are not immune. Compounding our grief, our son Melvin tested positive today for COVID-19. For what it's worth, he is feeling well, his days of fever and more severe illness now passed. Steph and I are both feeling well and are fully vaccinated. Pray our course will be light or non-existent.

We are now reunited under one roof, and although our plans to travel to spend quality time together are postponed, we join the millions of families the world over who found ways to quarantine together and discover new hobbies or foster old ones that have fallen away. For Steph this means baking, for Tony trying not to eat every treat she bakes, and for Melvin keeping us both entertained.

Thankfully this was all caught before the funeral which is now postponed to Saturday, December 11 after all of our respective quarantines are over. The funeral home, airlines and others have all been very gracious in rescheduling and we should be able to pick up plans where we left off. Somehow God knew both Steph's sister and Tony's brother were already planning to visit that weekend, so he just wanted to add a new item to their agenda.

Please try not to pity us, we have cried, questioned and struggled with the same challenge as Job's wife (2:9), “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”, but we continue to be built up by the faithful community of God, what a gift to receive! One of our dear friends, no stranger to suffering herself, reminded us of the poetic promise of David recorded in Psalm 62:

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

So, for these coming weeks (roughly through December 6), we will be together in the earthly refuge of our home, but we know this is not our true refuge and we long in a renewed way for that time when, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4 NIV.

Tony and Steph