Christmas Day, 2018 my wife gave me a small package to unwrap. It was just the two of us. The kids were with their mother this year for Christmas. I unwrapped the gift to find a baby bottle with a positive pregnancy test inside. It was her "message in a bottle" to me announcing our conception. I was not too surprised since we had been attempting for a few months, but it was still surreal. This was her first pregnancy. We were both filled with joy at the shared news. We decided to keep the news to ourselves until the first ultrasound knowing that things could happen.
In my practice of psychotherapy I'm learning the power of positive psychology. I've had a notion that many times people forget to smile, especially when they are plagued with depression and/or anxiety. A few years ago I went through a very painful event that changed my life. The grief of loss was so profuse that I found myself forgetting to smile. In response, I decided to take daily pictures of myself smiling. I was leaning on the old adage of "fake it till you make it." I certainly did not feel like smiling, but I would make the biggest, cheesiest smile and take a selfie. It helped me remember that life is only dominated by sadness and grief if we allow it that power. That statement is a relatively sound Christian thought, too. God gives us joy in Him if we are born again. Like Peter stepping out of the boat, we can sometimes lose sight of the joy of Christ when the tempests of life seems overwhelming. Don't forget to...